


Pride and Joy

by Malvacerra



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bisexual Prompto Argentum, Coming Out, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Noctis Lucis Caelum, Homophobia, M/M, Original Character(s), Romance, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-05-03 01:05:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 134,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14557503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malvacerra/pseuds/Malvacerra
Summary: Noctis, the Crown Prince of Lucis, has been in love with Prompto, his best friend, since their first week of high school. Caged by the duties that flow from his royal blood and forced into an arranged marriage, Noctis had all but resigned himself to a life of quiet despair before even reaching his twentieth birthday.Shortly after he departs for his wedding, Noctis's world is rent asunder when the Empire invades his kingdom and assassinates his father. As he and those around him take stock of what remains and search for a way to liberate their home, Noctis finds that his only chance at happiness lies in being true to himself. At the same time, as his devotion to the prince grows deeper, Prompto embarks on his own journey of self-discovery.This is a story of transcendent love and human dignity triumphing over narrow hatred and cruel prophecy.Amor vincit omnia.





	1. Warmth

“Prompto,” Noctis sighed. His lips formed over the syllables slowly, their movement in the flickers of the campfire’s dying embers so seemingly deliberate that Prompto wondered if he hadn’t fallen asleep after all.

“Noct?” Prompto ventured, not yet moving from his chair. He had started to doze off as well while looking through his picture roll. How long had it been since Gladio and Ignis had retired to the tent?

Prompto held down the power button on his camera, indulging in a moment’s disappointment that Noctis had drifted off before perusing them. He reached into his pocket for his phone, struggling with the tightness of his pants around his hips for a few seconds before managing to fish it out. The bright blue display read 1:06.

“Crap,” Prompto said, dragging his hands from his hairline down to his chin and staring up at the gibbous moon, now at the acme of its reign over the night sky. He was going to be dragging ass when the sun came up, despite normally being a morning person. At once, he realized how cold it was, making him appreciate the mohair throw draped over his shoulders. Prompto had espied it at the market in Lestallum, and after Noctis had done some theatrical counting of their gil notes and heard a few extra pleas from Prompto, he’d purchased it for him.

_“16,000 gil!”_ Ignis had bellowed in their room at The Leville later that day. _“Do you have any idea how many potions we could have stocked instead?”_

_“I’ll get hit less,”_ Noctis had shrugged, only causing Ignis to become more incensed.

_“What’s this blanket made of, spun gold?”_ At that, Prompto had snorted, them immediately averted his eyes when Ignis’s furious glower came to rest on him. _“I don’t want to hear any complaints about camping for at least a few weeks. Nor about beans,”_ he had sneered.

The memory always made Prompto grin, both because of how acerbic Ignis could be when Noctis acted in a way he deemed irresponsible and because Prompto took guilty pleasure in Noctis’s occasional spoiling of him. Noctis’s extravagant gestures, as rare as they were, always threw Prompto out of kilter, caused warmth to spread through his collarbone, neck and cheeks. He didn’t know exactly why, but he figured it was because Noctis was the first real, close friend he’d had—and in some ways, still the only one.

“Prom,” Noctis repeated. It was softer this time, more of a mumble. If the haven weren’t so remote and the fire now completely dead, Prompto might not have heard him at all.

“Yeah, buddy?’ Prompto said, not really expecting a response. He knew he should raise himself, collect Noctis and usher them both to bed in the tent, before any more precious minutes of sleep were lost. Ignis’s 5:30 wake-up calls were uncompromising and, after nights of interrupted sleep, brutal.

After a few seconds of enjoying the warmth of his blanket, Prompto reluctantly stood and stretched. His back, elbows and knuckles all cracked in succession and his heart rose from its torpor. “Noct,” Prompto said softly, approaching Noctis. “Noct,” he said, loudly, firmly, once he’d reached him.

The prince didn’t stir, so Prompto reached out his hand to rouse him. Before his fingers reached Noctis’s shoulder, however, Prompto froze, recognizing a beautiful composition. Moonlight and shadow played sensuously across Noctis’s delicate features, his long eyelashes and slightly parted lips suggesting an inscrutable mystery. He was curled up, his legs drawn toward his body; his long porcelain arms, corded with lean muscle, stretched out along the armrest, ending with the droop of his graceful hands. His form in the oversized camping chair, large enough to seat two men of his size, reminded Prompto of the vulnerability of a child in the womb; at the same time, his body was somehow the quintessence of strength and poise.

Prompto fumbled with his camera, hot with fear that his earlier entreaties or his proximity would awaken Noctis, shattering the spell of the moment. He couldn’t bother with his tripod. After wasting uncountable seconds cycling through his filters, Prompto decided that the only choice that made sense was to take the photograph straight up.

Jittery in battle he may have been, but Prompto was solid as a statue when photographing. He held the shutter open for at least sixty seconds to increase the exposure on the shot, and not even the Archaean emerging from the earth beneath his feet would have moved him.

“It will have to do,” Prompto murmured as he reviewed the composition. He wondered what Noctis would think of it and his temples grew warm at the thought. Prompto brought the backs of his fingers to Noctis’s cheek, letting them rest there for a moment. The prince’s cheek was colder than Prompto’s hand, and Prompto immediately furrowed his brows. He let his hand fall to Noctis’s shoulder, shaking him awake.

“Noct,” Prompto said insistently. “Noct.”

Noctis’s eyes flashed open and he almost instantly had Prompto’s wrist in a vise grip. Crystalline dust floated from his hand. Prompto cried out in pain.

“Noct, you’re hurting me!” Prompto yelled, the sudden pull sending him staggering forward.

“Prompto,” Noctis said, half as a query. He released his friend’s arm, mouth agape. “I—”

“It’s okay, Noct,” Prompto said, not pausing to rub his protesting wrist. “It’s just me.”

Noctis shook his head. “I thought—I’m sorry, Prom. I must have panicked.” His eyes looked wet and slightly bloodshot.

Prompto sat down in the chair next to him and placed his arm around Noctis’s shoulder without hesitation. “It’s alright, Noct. You’re safe.”

Noctis shuddered and shifted his whole body toward Prompto. He started sniffling and Prompto brought his free hand forward to rub Noctis’s chest. “Noct, you’re freezing.”

Noctis sniffed in, attempting to speak evenly. “Did I hurt you?”

Prompto unfurled his arms from Noctis, who turned his head in concern. He shrugged the mohair blanket from his shoulders and pulled it forward, laying it around Noctis’s form as the prince stared up at him. “I’m fine. You’re cold as ice, Noct.”

Noctis had a look in his eyes that Prompto found impossible to interpret, though he felt the tensing of the other man’s body against his. They looked at each other for a few moments, until Prompto turned away, feeling uncomfortable if not unpleasant. Noctis had the most piercing gaze of anyone he’d ever known. His thoughts flickered back to the photo he’d taken.

Noctis settled his head back against his friend’s collarbone. Prompto reprised the position of his arms, causing Noctis to nudge even closer to him. The feeling was strange. Intimate, yes, but a level of physical closeness they had shared many a time before. Something about this moment made Prompto feel like he could take on the world and more.

He was starting to feel chilly, the night breeze nipping at his bare shoulders and neck. “Noct,” he murmured. “Noct, we should go to the tent.” Prompto looked down at the prince’s downcast head and hadn’t the heart to wake him again. He leaned his own head back and closed his eyes to the stars, intent on getting some rest before morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I'm still learning how to use this site, so forgive me if I made any obvious mistakes. I'll update the story as often as I can.


	2. Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some spoilers up to Chapter 6 of FFXV.

Prompto awoke to the clinking of utensils against the camp stove. His eyes were sticky with sleep, and he had to rub them a few extra times before he could open them fully.

“Are our sleeping beauties finally awake?” called Gladio from the edge of the haven. He appeared to be surveying the surrounding wasteland, either scouting for threats or determining the quickest route to their next stop.

“One is, anyway,” Ignis said, much closer. He was stirring something in a saucepan, and the scent of onions that wafted over to Prompto made him lick his lips in anticipation of breakfast. Ignis turned his head just enough for Prompto to return his smile. “I’d ask if you had a good rest, but somehow I doubt it.”

Prompto was momentarily confused, then remembered the previous night. His eyes darted to the right and he became fully conscious of the body curled up against his. He looked up at Ignis. “What?” He wasn’t sure what he was implying.

“Just that camping chairs probably aren’t the most conducive to a good night’s sleep,” Ignis said, his expression impassive.

“Oh.” Prompto exhaled, wanting to stretch his arms but not willing to disturb Noctis just yet.

“I do feel a tinge of regret about the words we had over that blanket,” Ignis continued. “If Noct hadn’t purchased it, the two of you might well have been lost to the Glacean before sunup.”

Prompto simpered at Ignis, allowing himself a moment of smugness despite the distinct feeling that the other man was leading him into a rhetorical trap.

“Then again, you could both have simply gone to bed at a decent hour, in the sleeping bags we have owned from the off, and had a better night’s sleep for free.” Ignis finished his jeremiad with the loud clang of a soup ladle hitting a stockpot. “Wake up, Noct.”

“Give them a break, Iggy,” Gladio chuckled, walking back to the group. “This seems like a pretty safe area, and Leide never gets too frigid.”

“Yes, I’m the one being unreasonable over nearly an entire week’s earnings going toward something utterly frivolous,” Ignis retorted.

“Get over it already,” said Noctis, sounding notably exhausted and annoyed from his position at Prompto’s chest.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Ignis said, ignoring him. “If you don’t fancy starving until dinner I suggest you rouse yourself and wash up before breakfast.”

“I’ll just eat here. Like this,” Noctis replied.

Prompto suddenly felt self-conscious about where he was sitting. “Right, I’m just going to wash my face,” he said, fidgeting under Noctis. Noctis looked up at him. At some point in the night, Noctis had intertwined his arms with Prompto’s, which made getting up from the seat difficult without the prince’s cooperation. Prompto laughed sheepishly.

“Thanks, Prom,” Noctis said quietly.

“It’s nothing,” Prompto said reflexively. Self-abnegation was his lifelong habit, regardless of how it stung at times. He felt a stirring of joy, and pride, when he looked down at Noctis and saw that he disagreed.

 

* * *

 

“Does anyone else find it weird that we don’t know where all the royal tombs are?” Prompto asked insouciantly after breakfast, as the other three were pondering a map of the area. He cocked his revolver at an imaginary target before rolling to evade its onslaught.

“The knowledge is not entirely lost to us as a nation,” Ignis said. “But in our present circumstances, the four of us do not have the means to access it. So, we press onward.”

“Or fumble around in the dark.” Prompto pursed his lips, letting his firearm vanish from his hands. He started busying himself with cleaning up the dishes from breakfast and packing up the camping gear.

Gladio looked up, a bead of sweat dripping from his face to the map below, and scowled at Noctis. “How long are you going to wear that thing? It’s blazing hot.”

Noctis shrugged and pulled the blanket around himself more tightly. “Hope I’m not offending you.”

“Your attitude’s the only thing that offends me,” he replied. “Here, why don’t we check out this mining tunnel a few klicks to the northwest. Cindy mentioned one of her contacts found some auto parts there while passing through.”

“Did someone say Cindy?” Prompto said, perking up from the trough where he was washing their dishes.

Noctis rolled his eyes and unwrapped the blanket from his shoulders. “Who cares? I thought we were going to look for more of the royal arms. I haven’t found any since we met Titan.”

“ _We_ have no way of locating them, as I just explained to Prompto,” Ignis said. “Besides, our run-in with the Archaean wasn’t all that long ago.” Ignis turned from Noctis to Gladio, then back again. “Improving the Regalia represents a concrete, meaningful gain for us. Regardless of anything else we do, we need a car to get to it,” Ignis concluded.

“And it was only a week and a half ago that we didn’t have one at all,” Prompto added. “Man, that was painful!”

“Yes, I distinctly recall you petitioning me for an ointment for saddle sores from all the chocoback riding,” Ignis mused.

“Ignis!” Prompto screamed. His face had turned the brilliant red of a Leiden pepper. Gladio was nearly doubled over in laughter, and even Noctis was chuckling openly.

“Did you put it on him, Iggy?” Gladio wheezed. Ignis regarded him stonily.

“What happened to doctor-patient confidentiality,” Prompto muttered, returning to rolling up the sleeping bags.

“None of those words apply to us, Prompto,” Ignis said. “Shall we make tracks?”

 

* * *

 

“We’re on the same page!” Noctis said, clapping Prompto on the back as the last goblin fell to the ground and dissipated in a purple haze.

Prompto released his gun and grinned at Noctis. “It was a pretty damn good shot, wasn’t it?”

“They always are,” Noctis said, rubbing Prompto’s back a few times before retrieving his hand. Ignis and Gladio had already started moving ahead, trying to find the wax canister in the completely dark tunnel.

“Noct,” Prompto ventured. “Why is Ignis riding me so hard?”

Noctis instantly blushed and Prompto recalled the conversation back at camp. “Sorry Prom, not touching that one.”

“Yeah, hilarious. You know what I mean.”

“Just, I don’t know. He’s not mad at you or anything. He just likes to get on people’s cases. Trust me, if he’s actually angry, you’ll know it.” Noctis started walking so that he and Prompto wouldn’t be left behind by the other two.

“If you say so,” Prompto said. “He wasn’t like this in Insomnia.”

“Things are different out here. Think of Ignis’s personality. Then, think of the fact that he has to share nearly every waking moment and all of his living arrangements with three smelly, sometimes immature, sometimes disagreeable guys. It makes sense,” Noctis shrugged his shoulders.

“Wow, Noct,” Prompto said. Noctis turned back to him inquisitively. “That’s really insightful for you.”

“Thanks,” Noctis said dryly. “My turn for a question. How’s your wrist doing? I noticed you’re not using that hand as much today.”

“It’s nothing, Noct,” Prompto said quickly, though his other hand reached across his abdomen to hold his bruised wrist.

“Stop it,” Noctis ordered, standing in place and peering at Prompto in the small space cast by their flashlights. “Stop putting yourself down. Why do you still do that?”

“What do you mean?”

Noctis’s hand reached out and grabbed hold of Prompto’s. His midnight blue eyes glistened as he looked over the wrist he’d grasped in terror the night before.

“I can’t see all of it,” Noctis murmured. “Move this wristband out of the way.”

Prompto tugged his hand away with enough force to imbalance the prince, who staggered for a second before glaring at him. “Fine, have it your way. I was just worried.”

Prompto wanted to say _it’s nothing_ , but bit his tongue. “There’s a bruise, but it’ll be gone in a day or two.” He resumed walking. “Man, Cindy is going to freak when we bring this back to her!”

“If we find it,” Noctis said darkly.

“With me by your side, how is there any doubt?” Prompto pointed his revolver at a forty-five-degree angle from the ground and released a starshell burst further up into the tunnel. The entire nearby area was instantly as bright as high noon, and Gladio and Ignis chattered in approval.

Noctis looked at Prompto, a corona of glory around his head, his features indistinct in the sudden light to which Noctis’s pupils were still adjusting. Noctis couldn’t stop himself from giggling at his friend’s shit-eating grin, flamboyantly splayed hands and cocky victory pose. He wanted to always hold the sun in his arms. He wanted Prompto to be his.


	3. Dusk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers up to Chapter 5 of FFXV.

Noctis was sure he’d felt something for Prompto since their first days of high school. For the most part, this had been a constant source of agony for the young prince, as Prompto talked about the girls in their classes incessantly, apparently oblivious to how Noctis closed up when he did so. As disinterested as Noctis was in the topic, he would participate in it from time to time anyway because he was afraid of Prompto suspecting the truth. Not only was he not prepared to come out, but he also feared that Prompto would start to pull away from him if he suspected—or worse, knew—that Noctis had a crush on him.

“Disregarding anything else, you do make my job substantially easier in one way,” Ignis had observed one day at Noctis’s apartment, after Noctis had returned home unusually early. Ignis was about midway through fixing dinner, julienning carrots for a garnish which Noctis would be sure to treat instead as decoration.

“Anything for you, Ignis,” Noctis said, bored, not even having bothered to open his bag since returning.

“Most boys your age would be chasing skirts around town, causing all sorts of headaches for me, your father, not to mention the Citadel’s public relations office, Citadel Security—”

Noctis sighed, all the air ejected from his lungs at once. He threw his messenger bag onto the ground and lay back on the couch.

“His Majesty was quite the charmer back in his day, or so I’ve heard,” Ignis was continuing. “But then, you look at those old pictures of him and it isn’t surprising. Always had some young lady on his arm. This was all before your mother, of course.”

“Don’t you have anything better to occupy yourself with than idle gossip?” Noctis snapped.

“I’m capable of talking and cooking at the same time my boy, I assure you,” Ignis said. “I haven’t lost a finger yet, in any case.”

Noctis tried to disengage from the excruciating conversation by shoving his head into his phone, but before long Ignis was standing above him in his “Kiss the Cook” apron, his glasses slightly misty from the steam in the kitchen.

“Noct, perhaps my backhanded compliment was a dud. I actually think you’re making the right choice. Not many people could do what you do: martial training, learning to run a kingdom, going through all the typical high school rites of passage and staying sane on top of it all—well, as far as I’m aware,” Ignis smiled, swatting Noctis’s legs to the side so he could sit down. “Another person complicates everything. And you must put them first—sometimes, at least, otherwise the entire relationship withers on the vine. I speak from experience.”

Noctis felt suddenly emotional at Ignis’s use of _person_ and _them_ , and his eyes began to gloss over behind the screen of his phone. A part of him desperately wanted to correct Ignis and let it all spill out. Ignis was his best friend, his mentor, a cultivated and worldly man; surely he would support him? Noctis visualized himself hugging into Ignis as the older man stroked his back, letting him cry everything out, the food overcooking in the kitchen all the while.

Noctis shoved these thoughts back, deep within his heart. “It’s fine,” he mumbled. “When’s dinner?”

 

* * *

 

The afternoon was already deep orange by the time they returned to Hammerhead. They had emerged from the mining tunnel, car wax in hand, around midday, and ate a quick lunch under one of the rare trees in the area. Some days, Ignis didn’t have anything prepared for a midday meal on the road, either because the previous night’s food didn’t travel well or due to a more basic lack of supplies. Today, though, there had been cold boiled potatoes with toadsteak drumsticks—a filling meal that led Noctis to decide on a late dinner.

“It’ll be a few hours, boys,” Cindy said. “Sorry, but I don’t think I can finish before nightfall. Y’all just hang out here and she’ll be ready for you first thing tomorrow.”

“Noct,” Prompto whispered. He had his hands in his pockets, a bashful expression on his face. “You think she’ll wax up the car out here? Oh man.”

“How should I know?” Noctis replied. “Pick your tongue up off the floor,” he added, a bit more harshly than he’d intended.

“Sheesh, dude,” Prompto said. He looked thrown for a second, then beamed and elbowed Noctis’s arm. “Marking your territory, huh?”

Noctis rolled his eyes and started walking determinedly. He wasn’t sure to where he was headed, as long as it wasn’t the garage, where Cindy had already begun soaping up the Regalia. Noctis swallowed a hint of bitterness toward her for the feelings she aroused in Prompto.

“Help me with some shopping, Prompto?” Ignis was calling.

Prompto gave Noctis a momentary glance before jogging up to Ignis. “Sure thing, bud.”

Noctis circled around the back of Takka’s and reached the edge of the Hammerhead parking lot. The noises of the road, the garage and the service station were faint from here, mostly drowned out by the low purr of the diner’s extractor fan. Noctis clambered up onto the maintenance shed, then sat at the edge of the roof, looking out at the vast Leiden desert. In the dying afternoon light he spotted the column of smoke rising from the nearby haven, which reminded him of the previous night. In many ways, it was typical of his relationship with Prompto. He knew Prompto was just a touchy-feely guy and a devoted friend, but he sure seemed to enjoy confusing a boy with mixed signals every now and then.

“Hey twerp,” a voice boomed behind him, a large hand mussing his hair. Noctis frowned as Gladio’s substantial bulk settled down on the eave next to him, the wooden building grumbling in protest.

“If this roof caves in, you’re going to have to work off the payment with Cindy yourself,” Noctis said.

“You say that like it’s a punishment,” Gladio grinned. “Well, maybe it would be for you.”

Noctis felt the heat rising to his cheeks, thankful that the light was fading. “What do you mean?” he sputtered.

“Eh,” Gladio said casually. “You just don’t seem to like her all that much.”

Noctis looked down and frowned.

“Granted, maybe that’s just the way you feel about most people.” Gladio shrugged and started stretching out his shoulders.

Noctis sighed. “Or maybe I just don’t see the need to be a simpering idiot around the nearest attractive woman. You guys are embarrassing sometimes.”

“Oh good, I was wondering when I’d be treated to your charming side again.”

Noctis stood up. “Get off my back.” He turned to start walking away.

“Wait,” Gladio started. “I wanted to see if you’re doing okay. I…heard you cry out last night. But by the time I’d unzipped the door of the tent, it looked like you and Prompto were fine.”

Noctis gingerly sat back down. “He just startled me. Sorry I woke you.”

Gladio seemed to consider his thoughts for a moment. “Are you having nightmares again? About Insomnia? About your dad?”

Noctis didn’t say anything. He breathed in as he felt his eyes stinging in the rapidly cooling air.

“We don’t talk about it much, but we’re all hurting. I haven’t heard from my parents yet, but Iris and I still hold out hope. Not to mention everyone else we know.” Gladio turned to Noctis and moved closer to him with a gracefulness that belied his size. “I think we don’t bring it up with you because we know you bottle things up—”

Noctis sighed and brought his palms to his eyes.

“We all know what you’re feeling,” Gladio continued. “And we can be there for each other. We have to be. If you need me, I’m there. Always.”

Noctis suddenly dove toward Gladio, wrapping his arms around the man’s expansive chest. He had been crying silently up to that point, but he began to snort undignifiedly into the collar of Gladio’s tank top as the torrent of emotions came crashing out. Gladio placed his left arm around Noctis’s waist and felt the prince’s torso seize each time he breathed in. With his right hand he rubbed up and down the back of Noctis’s neck. This visceral catharsis was something with which Gladio was all too familiar. In the more than a decade in which he’d known Noctis, bottling up and then violently expelling his fears, his hatreds, his loves had been his habitual method of managing his emotional life.

“I can’t,” Noctis finally choked out, after what seemed to Gladio like an entire season. The wasteland was almost dark now, with only a few traces of violet and lavender suggesting the recent daylight.

Gladio waited, knowing that too pat of a contradiction would only cause the prince to retreat back into his meticulously managed shell.

“I can’t be him,” Noctis said, more clearly. He dried his face on the sleeve of his jacket, but couldn’t bear to look at Gladio yet. “I can’t do what he did.”

“Noct,” Gladio began.

“You know how useless I am,” Noctis said, with a clarity that Gladio found disturbing. “And I’m supposed to do what he did? Who can I protect? What can I save?” Noctis seemed to have regained his composure, as he looked up at Gladio angrily, his piercing eyes demanding an answer.

“I already told you,” Gladio said, patiently. “Back at the Disc.” Noctis’s features puzzled over this breadcrumb. “Like I said, when you can’t focus, I focus for you. When you’re lost, I pull you back. When you’re flagging, I pull you up.”

“That simple,” Noctis muttered, shaking his head.

“I didn’t say it was simple,” Gladio replied, furrowing his brow at how badly Noctis wanted to find defeat in this discussion. “I didn’t say it was easy. When do I make it easy for you?”

Noctis laughed, and the sound of it echoed in the still silence of the desert at night. Gladio missed the days when he would hear that sound constantly, even if he’d barely known Noctis back then.

“Man up,” Gladio finished. He eased himself off the roof, landing with poise on the pavement below. “Work it out. But I’m here. And so are Iggy and Prompto.”

“That’s it?” Noctis called after him, as Gladio ambled toward the entrance to the diner.

“That’s it,” Gladio said. “You coming?”

Noctis leapt off the shed and jogged a few steps to catch up with Gladio. The taller man placed his hand on Noctis’s shoulder and squeezed, his eyes never leaving the path in front of them all the while.


	4. Lens and Subject

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor spoilers for a few side quests.

Ignis and Prompto had been sitting in the booth closest to the door at Takka’s for nearly an hour. The shopping, bar the paraphernalia intended for that night like replacement toothbrushes and a single roll of toilet paper pulled from the larger pack Ignis had purchased, had been stowed in the Regalia, and Prompto had found himself with little to do other than play _King’s Knight_ or browse his pictures while they waited for Gladio and Noctis.

“Since we’re already dining here, why don’t we stay the night in the caravan?” Ignis, mug of tea in hand, proposed, without bothering to look up from the newspaper he was perusing.

A toothy grin spread across Prompto’s face as he looked up from his camera. “Alright! I knew you weren’t really still mad about the blanket!”

“Knew once I told you, more like,” Noctis said, as he and Gladio entered the restaurant. “He’s actually petrified of you, Ignis.”

“Noct!” Prompto exclaimed. “Where’ve you been, buddy?”

“We were having a chat,” Gladio said, patting Ignis to scoot further down in the booth. He fixed his gaze on Noctis as the prince collapsed in the seat next to Prompto. “Clearing our heads.”

“Scared of me?” Ignis sniffed. “I admit to not being entirely displeased.”

Prompto shook his head as the others chuckled at him and started going through his pictures from the day again. A condor, circling high above their campsite, waiting for them to clear off so it could scavenge for scraps. A voretooth staggering to the ground a fraction of a second after Gladio had hit it with a vicious pommel strike. Noctis with his arms crossed at the mouth of the mining tunnel, looking misleadingly heroic as he stared into the abyss. A picture of himself, making a “V” sign with his fingers in front of the canister of car wax.

“Any good ones?” Noctis asked, close to his left ear. Prompto looked up and pulled his fringe away from his eyes, where it had fallen.

“Uh maybe, want to see?” Prompto navigated back through his photographs to the beginning of the previous day, where he’d last left off with the prince.

“Hit me,” Noctis said. He moved close to Prompto so he could see over his shoulder. Their thighs touched, and Noctis looked down self-consciously, waiting for Prompto to move his leg. The blond didn’t react, but Noctis still berated himself for his foolishness. _You’re sad_ , his internal monologue lamented.

“Okay!” Prompto declared. “The first one is our picture with Sania in front of that Crow’s Nest in Duscae. Can you believe we were there just yesterday morning?” Prompto paused and looked across the table. “Sorry, do you guys want to see?”

Ignis looked up from the newspaper headline he’d been sharing with Gladio. “Maybe later. I’m sure it’ll be easier at the caravan.”

Prompto nodded. “Well, Sania seemed really happy about those frogs we brought back to her, even if it took us a while to get around to it.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “I don’t see you volunteering to catch them. I hate how those things feel. What if they’re coated in poison and I die?”

“You’re wearing gloves, aren’t you? No one’s asking you to kiss them,” Gladio interjected.

“Right, well then we stopped at the Wiz Chocobo Post later in the morning. I can’t remember what we did there, though.”

“Really?” Noctis arched his eyebrows. “You of all people?”

“I didn’t ask to go there this time!”

“That’s not what he means. It was because of that picture you’d taken,” Ignis said, indicating Prompto’s camera with the pen in his hand, again without looking up.

“Oh! The picture of that wild chocobo. Can’t believe I forgot that.”

“Silly,” Noctis jeered, leaning his shoulder into Prompto’s arm.

“Anyway, I took a few pictures there.”

“A few hundred, maybe,” Noctis drawled.

Prompto sighed. “When are we going to check out the racetrack, Noct? I keep hearing people talking about it, but you always say we have other things to do.”

“It means he doesn’t want to,” Gladio said curtly. Takka was approaching their booth, his arms filled with plates. “Oh good, food’s here.”

“I’m afraid you’ll beat me,” Noctis confided. “I don’t remember ordering,” he said, turning to Ignis.

“We ordered just before you got back,” Ignis replied. “You each always order the same thing here.”

“Maybe today was when I’d decided to try something new,” Noctis suggested.

“You, venture outside of your comfort zone with cuisine? Don’t make me laugh.”

“If I promise to go easy on you, can we spend the day there next time?” Prompto had started to dig in to his fries.

“The entire day? Maybe an hour,” Noctis said, enjoying toying with Prompto.

“And to think, I gave up a promising career of being a complete nobody to be treated like this,” Prompto quipped, before fast forwarding through the rest of the Wiz Chocobo Post photos. Noctis breathed out and looked away, which meant he was displeased. Prompto wasn’t sure why he had been so testy today. “Want to keep going, or?”

“Yeah, keep going.” Noctis chewed on a bite of his sandwich as he waited for Prompto to get to the next one.

“Hmm, a few pictures from the car. Just scenery mostly. Oh, a selfie with Gladio taking a leak in the background.”

“Real mature,” Gladio muttered.

“Don’t worry, your back’s to the camera!” Prompto said, beaming. “Then more action shots from when we hunted those weird pudding things. It was surprising how hard they hit, despite being liquid.”

“Don’t let their appearance fool you, Prompto,” Ignis said, dipping some bread into his bean soup. “Their strength and cruelty come straight from the Void. Keep your distance.”

Prompto cycled forward, suddenly coming face to face with the photograph he’d taken of a sleeping Noctis in the early hours of that morning. He sucked in a small breath and widened his eyes as he saw it for the first time since that moment. It was an even more beautiful composition than he’d remembered. Every element of the photograph was perfect, and more than that: the scene radiated intrigue and life; it suggested a buried story, a hidden world.

“Is that…me?” Noctis asked.

“Um, yeah. Forgot I took that one, actually,” Prompto said, beginning to blush. “Sorry if it’s a little awkward.” Strangely, Noctis didn’t seem as annoyed as Prompto had feared he might be. He looked fascinated by the photograph, poring over it with his intense, darting eyes as if no one else were around.

“So he gets an apology and I don’t,” Gladio complained. “Interesting.”

“You’re really talented, Prompto,” Noctis said finally, looking up from the camera. “I’ve never seen myself like that. I mean,” he shifted in his seat to move away from Prompto. “It’s still a little awkward. But it’s you, so I don’t mind it.”

There was a massive burst of air from the other side of the table as Gladio groaned. “You two, sometimes, I swear,” he said, disappearing toward the bathrooms before he could complete his sentence.

“A masterful photograph,” Ignis agreed, handing the camera back to Prompto after looking it over. Prompto reached out to retrieve it, but Ignis held onto the camera for a fraction of a second longer than necessary, fixing an enigmatic gaze on Prompto before releasing it.

“Th-Thanks,” Prompto stuttered. “As long as you like it, Noct. If not, I’ll delete it.”

“Keep it,” Noctis said, sitting back in the booth and thinking back to the previous night. He knew not to get his hopes up when it came to Prompto. There were countless times he’d misinterpreted his best friend’s signals. The time when they were sixteen and Prompto invited him to go for ramen and to the arcade, and Noctis had shown up at his door wearing a suit, a bouquet of flowers in his hands he’d had to play off as intended for Prompto’s mother when he realized his friend was wearing dingy sweats and found his bearing confusing. The time when they were seventeen, on the couch in his apartment, and Prompto had asked Noctis whether he had much experience kissing, which had caused Noctis’s heart to race but turned out to be a question for the benefit of the sophomore girl Prompto was then chasing. The times he would jokingly grab at Noctis’s rear or tenderly rub his shoulders. The times Prompto slept over in his bed, but immediately fell asleep with his back to Noctis.

“I’m beat,” Gladio yawned. “See you guys at the caravan.”

Noctis gave him a barely perceptible nod. Prompto holding him in his arms, telling him he was safe, falling asleep with him—all these things he did because he was a friend, concerned about him. Devoted to serving him, Noctis thought in disgust. He and Prompto would never see the same thing in that photograph. There were a million miles between the lens and its subject.


	5. Clarity

Just the two of them sat at the booth now, Noctis having risen to let Prompto out several minutes before. Ignis peered at Noctis surreptitiously, trying to puzzle out the prince’s palpably raw emotional state. He knew the signs of Noctis’s inner turmoil as surely as a farmer, from a slight nip in the breeze, divined the approach of rain.

“How are we?” Ignis chanced, once Noctis had relaxed an iota.

Noctis smiled wanly in spite of himself. “I was hoping you were absorbed in…whatever that is.”

“This?” Ignis raised the stack of newspapers, several days’ worth having accumulated while they had been on the road. Takka kept a stack for them so that Ignis could reacquaint himself with events every time the group returned to Hammerhead. “Just the same as always. Imminent doom and poorly constructed headlines advertising it.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the serious one?” Noctis turned toward him slightly, and Ignis knew Noctis was letting his guard down. Perhaps just enough for his words to make a difference.

“I’m always serious about diction,” Ignis replied, lingering on the first syllable of the final word. Noctis blushed. Ignis could usually get Noctis to loosen up without trying too hard, which sometimes meant taking advantage of the prince’s juvenile sense of humor. “Mind if I ask what you and Gladio talked about?”

“Just, you know.” Noctis stared down at his lap, where his open hands were flexing together in his attempt to release tension. “Dad.”

“Of course,” Ignis said kindly.

“He said you guys are going through the same thing. That we can support each other. I hadn’t even thought of that. I—” he looked up at Ignis. “I’m so selfish sometimes.”

“You’re a far more magnanimous person than you give yourself credit for,” Ignis replied, setting his glasses onto the stack of newspapers and fixing his seafoam green eyes upon Noctis. “You rarely need me to remind you that a prince’s duty is to help his people, whenever practicable.”

Noctis shook his head. “But?”

“But sometimes, only around those who love you, you are indeed a self-involved arse,” Ignis finished, with a wry smile.

“There we go,” Noctis said, grinning back at him. “Love you too, Specs.”

“So, what brought on that talk with Gladio anyway?” inquired Ignis, restoring his spectacles to their perch on his aquiline nose and resuming his review of the papers.

“Oh, he just heard me last night. I’d been having a nightmare about—” Noctis paused long enough for Ignis to look up at him again. “I saw my dad dying, and shouting for me to save him.”

Ignis shook his head slightly.

“Prompto was there too,” Noctis blurted out.

“Prompto?” Ignis said. “You mean last night?”

“In the dream,” Noctis corrected. “Nightmare. He was dying too. I was trying to stop an imperial from stabbing him through the neck. He was screaming for me.”

Ignis shuddered. “I’m sorry, Noct.”

“I was reaching my arm out to grab the soldier’s wrist and save him. Then I woke up,” Noctis said. “I can’t describe how it felt. ‘Every horrible feeling packed into a single instant’ doesn’t seem to cover it.”

Ignis reached out his hand, which Noctis gladly took. “I wish I had a cure for nightmares, but we all just need time to process everything that’s happened.”

“You’ve been having them too, Iggy?” Noctis inquired, taking his hand back.

“Not as such. My sleep has been troubled, though. Truncated and not very restful many nights.” Ignis knew not to burden the prince with much more than that, lest he worry himself over him as well. “I’ve been drinking more tea to relax in the evenings.”

“More than usual?” Noctis asked, quirking his eyebrow.

“Yes, Noct. You’re welcome to try some of it whenever it pleases you, instead of those baleful sugary drinks you prefer to guzzle.”

“I sense a lecture coming on,” Noctis said. “Time to dash.”

“One more thing,” Ignis said, raising his hand. “Are you and Prompto—”

Noctis froze in apprehension. He’d long wondered whether Ignis suspected his crush on his best friend, but had figured that his mentor was too tactful to openly query him about it, considering the questions about his sexuality that would inevitably have to be probed. By now, based on approving comments Ignis had made about gay couples acquainted with the royal family, Noctis knew that he was accepting of homosexuality; but if that were the condition of the last of the Lucian bloodline, Noctis doubted whether he would be so understanding.

“What?” Noctis breathed.

“Okay? There seemed to have been some tension between you two today. Or was it just the lack of sleep?” Ignis knew how much that affected his young charge.

“Ah,” Noctis exhaled. “Yeah, pretty tired. And that nightmare just threw me out of whack.” Noctis stepped out of the booth and placed his hands on his hips. “I’m sure I’ll feel better tomorrow.”

“We usually do,” Ignis replied. “I’ll catch you up.”

Ignis watched Noctis shuffle down the steps of Takka’s and wave at the other two, who were playing on their phones in the seats next to the caravan. Ignis’s eyes dwelt on Prompto’s camera, perched in front of the blond on the flimsy plastic table around which the men had gathered. He contemplated the lilt of Noctis’s head as he chatted with Prompto, the way he leaned forward in his chair and tensed his features as they spoke in a way he didn’t with Gladio or himself.

Prompto was mugging with his fingers in his teeth as Noctis took some shots of him; after they’d finished, Noctis handed the camera to Prompto and gingerly placed his hand on the blond’s knee as they looked over the day’s photographs. Ignis smiled to himself and looked around the nearly-empty diner before standing and stretching. He collected his papers and waved to Takka.

“Ignis, you old fool,” he murmured, as myriad mysteries about the prince disentangled themselves before his eyes. Ancient statements and looks that had puzzled him years before revealed their truths. He felt a distinct warmth in his chest and chastised himself over how sentimental he was becoming. Ignis lamented that he had been blind to the struggle Noctis had been enduring all these years, but whatever new challenges this love would pose to the prince, he vowed that Noctis would not face them alone. He had his back, always.


	6. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor spoilers up to Chapter 6 of FFXV.

“We ought to return to Lestallum soon,” Ignis said, sitting down at the caravan’s table with the other three. “Iris and the Hesters will be worrying about us.”

Noctis grunted to indicate that he’d heard him but continued looking down at the camera in Prompto’s hands.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Ignis pressed his eyes closed, not looking forward to the long drive the next morning.

“I don’t know why we didn’t just go straight back there after we got the car back,” Gladio said.

“We were lying low until the remnants of the imperial forces had finished clearing off,” Ignis stated.

“And like I said when we made that decision, what about Iris? She can take care of herself, but still—”

“There’s no reason to believe she’s in any danger, Gladio,” Ignis sighed. “I don’t see the point in arguing about this now, since we’ve decided to drive there tomorrow anyway.” He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. “I’m off to bed.”

“I’ll make you your Ebony tomorrow,” Gladio offered.

“That would be splendid. Goodnight,” Ignis said to the group.

Prompto waved him off. “So Noct, we hitting up the arcade when we get to Lestallum?”

“You wanna?” Noctis grinned, flipping his phone over in his hand absentmindedly. “I’ll wreck you, Blondie.”

“If I only had a gil for every time you’ve said that,” Prompto mused.

“Don’t go making any plans yet,” Gladio interrupted. “Gotta see what’s been going on around town and with Iris and the others first.”

“We could go to the market too,” Noctis whispered to Prompto.

“Ignis only just calmed down about the last time,” Prompto said, turning toward Noctis. “Maybe we could buy him some spices as a peace offering.”

“Maybe you two should be put on an allowance,” Gladio mumbled from behind his book.

“So, there’s this girl there I forgot to tell you about,” Prompto began. Noctis blinked and removed his hand from Prompto’s armrest. “Yeah, she works at the power plant. She said she’d give us a tour, if you want to do that.”

“I don’t know,” Noctis said, swallowing. “Sounds kind of boring.”

“Really? I thought it’d be cool.” Prompto jerked his head up and pointed at Noctis with both index fingers. “Not literally though, more like the opposite!” Gladio groaned. Noctis stared at him. “Because you have to wear those thermal suits? It’s really hot inside.”

“Will you stop if I agree?” Noctis asked. “Whatever, it could be something to do.” He was already thinking of ways to avoid the engagement and keep Prompto to himself for the day.

 _Pathetic_ , commented his internal monologue. _And creepy_.

Noctis rose. “Where are the Jetty’s? I’m dying of thirst.”

“In the Regalia. Go get something at the shop,” Gladio said.

Prompto stood to walk with him, lagging behind. “Feeling tired,” he yawned.

Noctis pulled open the top of the freezer at the side of the shop and rummaged around in the dim light for the drink he wanted. Prompto turned on his flashlight and held it up for him. “Head to bed if you like, it’s my fault anyway. You want anything?”

“I’m good. Wait, what?”

“My fault that you had a terrible night’s sleep last night,” Noctis clarified, handing a few gil to the cashier.

“How’s that your fault?” Prompto scratched the side of his nose.

“Well, I did sort of fall asleep on you.” They stopped a few paces from the caravan.

Prompto giggled. “The crown prince of Lucis, sleeping with his Crownsguard!”

“ _On_. I said _on_.” Noctis felt his face getting hot, and he started to gulp down the bottle of Jetty’s. These kinds of moments were pure torment for him.

“Don’t worry Noct, I won’t tell.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “I had a bad dream, okay? It’s hard to think straight after one of those.”

Prompto seemed to smirk at his choice of words, but his face quickly became lined with concern. “Oh, I thought that might have been it. You were really shaken up.”

Noctis made the barest noise of assent and threw his bottle into the bin next to the gas pumps, several feet away.

“You want to talk about it?” Prompto asked, fingering his camera strap. “I don’t mind.”

“Not really,” Noctis said. “I already got the third degree from Gladio and Ignis.”

“Oh, I see,” Prompto said, punching Noctis’s arm. “I’m not one of your advisers. I’m just the piece of meat who cuddles you while you sleep.”

Noctis coughed and looked away. His extremities were tingling; his tongue felt miraculously dry despite the entire soft drink he’d quaffed seconds before.

“Aren’t you two cute,” droned Gladio from his chair. He stood and snapped his book shut with a flick of his wrist. “I think I’ll head to bed before any more of my teeth fall out.”

“I’ll tell you about it if you really want,” Noctis offered.

“You know I’m joking, dude,” Prompto said, getting distracted by something on his phone.

 _Yes_ , Noctis thought. _I always know you’re joking_. His eyes started to sting as he watched Prompto flick through apps on his phone with dizzying alacrity. Noctis wanted to run away into the middle of the desert and scream.

Instead, he did something impulsive.

Noctis moved over to Prompto and slid his hand around the blond’s waist. “What’re you looking at?” Noctis asked quietly.

“Huh? Oh, I’m just selling some junk items in _King’s Knight_.” If Prompto was uncomfortable, he didn’t show it.

Noctis placed his chin on Prompto’s shoulder. “I knew you were farming without me. ‘It’s all skill,’ my ass.” Noctis’s heart was like an avalanche.

Prompto laughed. Noctis could feel his diaphragm expanding and contracting through the thin fabric of his tank top. “You mad, bro?”

 _I must be_ , Noctis thought. _I really must be_.

Noctis stared down at the deft movements of Prompto’s hands until the other man turned his head toward him. “Let’s go to the caravan, Noct,” he said. “It’s getting chilly.”

Noctis let go of him and nodded. “We don’t want a repeat of last night,” he said, faking a smile.

Prompto stretched out his arm to rub Noctis’s back as they walked to the caravan. “I got you, buddy. Send those baddies to my dreams. Although—” he paused at the door. “If you do end up grabbing hold of something in the middle of the night, can it please not be the arms again? I kind of need those to do my job.”

“I’ll grab your head then,” Noctis retorted.

Prompto winked at him and stuck out his tongue. Noctis watched him ascend the steps of the caravan. Maybe if he could sleep in Prompto’s arms every night, the nightmares would stop tormenting him. Prompto didn’t seem to mind. Noctis’s lip curled at his immodest reasoning, but he was too tired to navigate the shoals between friendship and desire right now. He just wanted to go home, and Prompto was holding the door for him.


	7. Silver Linings

In the grey darkness of the caravan, Prompto lay on the narrow bed and moved his thumb over Noctis’s image. Alone for the nonce, with Gladio and Ignis asleep in the other two beds and Noctis brushing his teeth in the bathroom, Prompto felt entirely liberated to admire his photograph. Why be humble about his talent when no one was looking? After this was all over, maybe he could open a gallery in Insomnia with the best photographs from their journey. He snickered, picturing himself in a tweed jacket, brogues and a beret, taking his three friends back through their memories.

“Just have to save the world first,” he muttered to himself. That was another nice thing about no one else listening: he didn’t have to pretend that he understood anything that had happened since he’d been inducted into the Crownsguard only a month or so before.

Prompto glanced back at his camera. It amazed him that Noctis looked so pretty in the shot. Weedy Noctis, barely taller than him, with a head of hair like a feather duster and a chest that had barely changed since the beginning of high school, somehow refracted through Prompto’s lens into one of those alabaster statues of kings on every important street in Insomnia. At once, the realization that Noctis would someday be one of them hit Prompto, and he bit his bottom lip pensively.

From the bathroom came the muffled clatter of something being dropped, followed by a grunt of annoyance. _They’ll never know how he smells after a few days of camping, though_ , mulled Prompto. _Or that his head looks like a morbol in the morning_.

Prompto sighed contentedly and turned off his camera. He placed it under the bed, then stretched his limbs as far as he could to each corner of the mattress.

The bathroom door clicked open and Noctis appeared, wearing his black silk pajamas with white chevrons. He paused upon seeing Prompto sprawled out on the bed and dropped the clothes in his hand on the ground. “Hey,” he said.

Prompto pulled his arms and legs in and moved himself closer to the wall of the caravan. When Noctis didn’t move, he patted the bed next to himself a few times.

Noctis dropped onto the mattress and crawled up to where Prompto was. “You’re not calling a dog,” he grumbled.

“If it looks, and smells, and loves unconditionally like a dog,” Prompto trailed off.

“You know that’s your king that you’re talking about?” Noctis smoothed down his shirt and lay his head on his pillow before turning to Prompto. “People would never believe what I have to put up with.”

Prompto spread out his arms: one above his head, the other pointing to the sky.

“What are you doing?” Noctis snorted.

“Come on,” Prompto said, beckoning with his fingers.

Noctis gingerly moved his body closer. Prompto brought his arms around Noctis. The two of them shuffled their weight, attempting to get into a more comfortable configuration.

“Don’t worry,” Prompto mumbled, after they had settled into their pillows. “These guns will keep you safe.”

“Astrals,” Noctis said into Prompto’s shoulder. “Is that the sound of all the womenfolk in the kingdom running for the hills?”

Prompto slapped his back, to which Noctis chuckled. Prompto watched as Noctis took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was about ready to drift off himself, until he remembered what he’d wanted to ask Noctis.

“Noct, do you think I’d look good in a beret?” Prompto asked.

“What?”

“A beret. You know,” he continued, as Noctis’s dark eyes stared up at him in bewilderment. “It’s a hat that’s flat on top, and I hear a lot of artists wear them.”

“I know what a beret is,” Noctis snapped.

“Well, would I look good in one?”

“This is actually too much,” Noctis complained. “I think I prefer the nightmares.”

“Noct,” Prompto whined.

“I’ll buy you one in Lestallum and you can see for yourself,” Noctis said. “Or several. One in every color of the rainbow. Now go to sleep.”

Prompto impulsively kissed Noctis’s forehead. He felt the prince’s body tense up, and then Noctis’s legs moving around under the blanket.

“Something wrong?” Prompto said.

“Ah, no. I just feel like sleeping on my side.”

“But you are—”

“My other side,” Noctis specified, before turning to face away from Prompto. Prompto furrowed his brow in confusion but obliged him by finding the right fit for his arms again. He pressed his chest up to Noctis’s back and lay his head down again.

A few minutes passed before either of them said anything. “Hey Noct,” Prompto began, still fully awake.

Noctis grunted in response.

“Um, your heart. It’s beating really fast? Like scarily fast.” Prompto felt Noctis’s breathing stop mid-inhale. “Are you—”

“Am I what?” Noctis replied huskily.

“Afraid of falling asleep?” Noctis sighed and didn’t respond, so Prompto fumbled onward.

“Don’t be frightened,” Prompto said. “Just try to get to sleep. If anything bad happens, I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”

Noctis reached up and rubbed Prompto’s forearm a few times. “Night, Prompto.”

“Night, buddy,” Prompto said.

 

* * *

 

Ignis leaned back against the caravan’s stovetop and twirled his coffee spoon in little patterns around his mug. The enchanting scent of Ebony tickled his nostrils as he regarded the joined figures of the prince and his youngest Crownsguard, still peacefully asleep under beige sheets.

Gladio stepped into the caravan and placed a basket of breakfast foods and snacks on the counter. He handed Ignis an apple and smiled. “Cute, isn’t it.”

“Come now, Gladio, there’s no need to make light,” Ignis said, washing the apple in the kitchen sink.

“What do you mean?” Gladio asked, picking up a handful of nuts and throwing them into his mouth.

“There’s nothing wrong with two men being comfortable or, or—” Ignis stammered and turned off the tap. “Or sharing physical intimacy.”

Gladio narrowed his eyes as he chewed on the nuts. “What?”

“Don’t be so puerile, is what I’m saying.”

Gladio picked up another handful of nuts. “I have no idea why you’re biting my head off. Drink your coffee.”

Ignis sighed and started to twirl his spoon again. The previous night, as he’d lain awake in bed listening to the murmurs of the other three outside, he’d puzzled over how he would approach Noctis about this, or even if he would. Obviously, the ramifications for the prince’s arranged marriage were distressing, though with the peace agreement shattered the status of such a union was questionable. It was, he’d mused, one of the few silver linings to the catastrophic chain of events in which they’d found themselves.

Of course, there was the possibility that he’d misjudged everything. A confrontation with Noctis over his sexuality if this were the case would probably induce some complex in the prince which Ignis would have to spend the better part of a decade ironing out. No, he had better be as close to absolutely sure as one could be without direct evidence.

Ignis sipped his coffee and breathed in deeply in appreciation. The faint sounds of Takka unlocking his front door and Gladio and Cindy in quiet morning conversation drifted by. Ignis drained his cup and closed his eyes. There was also the matter of Prompto. Ignis was unsure how he felt about the prince or whether he even _could_ feel anything for him.

 _There really should have been a third adviser_ , Ignis thought ruefully.

“Refill?” Gladio was saying.

“Hmm? Oh, I can do it,” Ignis responded.

“I said I would,” Gladio said, taking Ignis’s mug and heating the water again.

“Gladio,” Ignis said hesitantly. Gladio raised his eyebrows but didn’t look up. “Have you ever kept any secrets with Noctis? From me?”

Gladio burst out laughing. Ignis heard an irritated groan from the other end of the caravan. “You think there’s actually much he would tell me that he wouldn’t tell you?” Gladio whispered.

“Not an answer, I’ll point out,” Ignis said, accepting his mug from Gladio.

“Well, no, then,” Gladio replied. “Ah—actually, I’ll have to think about it more. It’s been so many years. There might have been something. Probably insignificant now.”

Ignis shook his head. “No, I imagine what I’m contemplating would immediately come to mind.”

“What’s wrong, Iggy?” Gladio said, his tone lower and more concerned. “Is he okay?”

“Yes, don’t worry yourself,” Ignis said. There were sounds of stirring from the bed. “Let’s leave it for now.”

“You guys talking about me?” came Noctis’s voice, hoarse and wobbly with sleep.

“Do we have nothing else to discuss?” Ignis said.

“Well, you both sounded worried and were trying to be quiet, so there’s about a ninety-five percent chance I’m right,” he said, peeking his eyes over the covers.

“If you can do maths, you can get ready for the day,” Ignis said. “I’ve already let you have a lie-in for too long.”

Noctis groaned. “What’s the point of sleeping in a bed if we’re not going to enjoy it?”

Gladio crossed his arms. “Do you ever get tired of whining? Your breakfast’s been brought to you and you can sleep all you want in the car. Shall we dress you and wipe your ass after your morning shit too?”

“A bit harsh,” Ignis commented.

Gladio shrugged. “It got him moving, didn’t it?”

Noctis stretched his fingers toward the ceiling and bent his joints both ways to get the cracks out. He leaned back on his elbows, then looked over at Prompto. The blond was a deep sleeper; Noctis had no idea how he had slumbered through Gladio’s tirade. His hands were still loosely gathered around Noctis’s waist even though the two men had drifted apart during the night. Noctis’s eyes roved up Prompto’s body and rested on his face. His nose was slightly red, and some of his hair had fallen in front of it, where it vibrated in time with his slow, peaceful breaths. There was a thin layer of sweat on his neck and forehead, and the smallest glimpse of teeth between his plump, pouting lips. Noctis carefully brought his hand across his body and drew the lock of hair away from Prompto’s face, smoothing it into the slight dampness behind his ear.

“Did you get some good kip?” Ignis was standing next to the bed, looking down at him over his coffee mug. Noctis felt himself blushing. He returned his hand to his side and shuffled under the covers again. The movement against Prompto’s arms caused him to stir.

“Pretty good, actually,” Noctis said. He brought the sheet up to his eyes and looked up at Ignis.

This was a face Ignis knew implicitly. The way Noctis looked when he stole and tasted Ignis’s ingredients while he was baking. The way he looked when Ignis turned around after writing a chalkboard full of information, only to see him playing games on his phone. The way he looked, essentially, when there was no recourse to lying, only the admission that he’d been caught.

“Morning,” mumbled a voice to Noctis’s left. Prompto stretched out, then rubbed Noctis’s upper arm. “How’d you sleep, Noct?”

“I’d say you were just the trick,” Ignis observed, sipping his coffee. “You both should hurry and eat. We must get on the road whilst the morning is still young.”

The world, Ignis believed, embraced far more possibilities than most people gave it credit for. In the main, he found this melancholy: small acts of ugliness echoed across people's lives, attenuating their experiences, encircling them in fear, leading them to wish for less and resent that that was all that had been there from the start. Seeing this for falsehood was a pursuit he found intoxicating.

Since the fall of Insomnia, Ignis had been contemplating silver linings. He knew that a shard of hope was vital not for what it could put into practice or its likelihood of success, but because of what it proved about themselves: that they could still see the possibilities that remained; that they were more than they feared.

There would ever be beauty and life in the midst of darkness. This was Ignis’s stalwart conviction, yet he still was filled with wonder as he watched Noctis and Prompto together, bathed in the light of sunrise.


	8. The Shopping Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what I'd charitably call a bridging chapter to more important stuff later, since the main story forces things sometimes and I don't want to do a huge time skip.
> 
> I wrote this while taking breaks from my thesis and I got about three hours of sleep last night, so it might be rocky. But I figured I wanted to get some kind of update done.
> 
> Spoilers up to Chapter 6 of FFXV.

Lestallum, to Gladio, was the perfect city. It was unpretentious, rough and ready; crossing the rift valley from Duscae evoked all the heady romance of life on the frontier that stodgy Insomnia lacked. These virtues, he mused, presented themselves in manifold ways, from the bold way the restaurants prepared meat, to the boisterous outdoor market, to the proud way the women held themselves.

If he hadn’t been born into his weighty responsibilities, he’d love to pack up and move there tomorrow.

None of them, he pondered as he watched Noctis and Prompto jog up the steps that led to the city, were truly free; the prince least of all. Perhaps Prompto had bound himself to duty to the crown by choice, but Gladio doubted he would ever leave Noctis’s side even were that not the case. There had been a time when Gladio had wanted to rebel against the path chosen for him. If Noctis had turned out to be less good of a man, Gladio might have set off westward long ago. A small house on the outskirts of town, he fantasized, with a tall, strong woman who kept him honest.

Ignis was waiting for him. “Sorry,” Gladio said with a start, pushing himself away from the Regalia.

“Daydreaming, Gladio?” Ignis asked, making sure that the last door was locked.

“Yeah,” he grinned. “Just thinking about how awesome it would be to live here.”

Ignis tutted. “What could you find here that you couldn’t get in the Crown City?” They began to walk lazily toward the center of town, both still stiff from the long drive.

“I knew you wouldn’t understand, Iggy,” Gladio said. “Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to get away from all this? Ditch the crazy we face every day and live a normal, boring life?”

“Ah. I understand wanting to run away perfectly well,” Ignis said. “But somewhere slightly less…bucolic, like Accordo, would be my destination.”

Gladio smirked. Of course Ignis would go to Altissia.

“Perhaps there will come a time when Noctis no longer requires me.”

“It’ll be a cold day between Ifrit’s cheeks before that happens,” Gladio commented.

“If such a day comes,” Ignis continued, a slight blush the only indication that he’d heard Gladio’s indecent remark, “I should love to retire to the city by the sea.”

“Here’s hoping we all get to that age,” Gladio said. “Hmm, Iris still isn’t picking up. Weird. Let’s walk to the hotel.”

“Right behind you,” Ignis replied.

 

* * *

 

 

Noctis walked slightly behind Prompto, the blond snapping pictures around them on their stroll through town. They’d made good time to Lestallum, though Noctis had spent most of the ride trying to nap. He hadn’t completely lied when he’d told Ignis and Prompto that his sleep had been sound; once he’d managed to drift off, he’d had some of the most blissful rest he’d experienced since their journey had begun.

“Whoa, look at that!” Prompto exclaimed, stopping abruptly and bending over to photograph something in the gutter. Noctis’s eyes grazed over the taut curve of Prompto’s back, then drifted lower. After a few moments he shook his head vigorously, trying to regain control over his faculties.

No, it was getting to sleep that had been the problem the previous night. Cuddling with Prompto at any time would have placed Noctis in a compromising position, but it had been an especially dubious choice right after that night at Palmaugh Haven. The combination of Prompto secretly taking his picture, rescuing him from his nightmare and keeping him warm until dawn had added fresh fuel to the torch Noctis had carried for him all these years.

“Oh man, these ants are built!” Prompto was babbling.

From the moment he’d crawled into bed, Noctis had felt more afraid than he had in any battle he’d been in. He was transfixed, enthralled once Prompto’s arms were around him. Keeping up a façade of normality had consumed all the willpower he had.

And that was all before Prompto had kissed him.

“Check it out, dude,” Prompto was saying, shoving his camera under Noctis’s nose.

“Huh? What?” Noctis said blankly.

“Yeah, the heat’s getting to me too,” Prompto remarked, wiping his brow.

“What’s that?” Noctis asked, grabbing the camera.

“Oh, it was this group of ants that were carrying the end of a stalk of celery. It was like, as long as my hand!”

“No accounting for taste,” he said, passing the camera back to Prompto. He felt especially bitter toward celery; Ignis constantly added it to random recipes, thinking Noctis wouldn’t notice.

“Amazing how strong they are,” Prompto murmured, flicking through the series of pictures.

Noctis scoffed. “I don’t remember you saying anything like that when I was getting stomped on by Titan. All they’re doing is playing with some gross vegetable.”

Prompto placed the camera strap back around his neck. “Noct, you’re trying to compete against ants. You really are so vain.”

Noctis’s cheeks flushed. “But—”

“Nope, I think you should just stop.” Prompto resumed walking. They were nearing the market just as sunset was giving way to twilight. Noctis followed behind him sheepishly.

“Hey, you heard me earlier about that tour of the power plant, right? I ran into Venezia in the main square, she’d already clocked off.”

“Oh, that’s who you were talking to,” Noctis said.

“Dude, I introduced you! You’re really out of it today.” They stopped at the entrance of the market. “Yeah, so it will have to be another time. Tomorrow morning maybe.”

“I don’t care what Ignis says, I’m sleeping in tomorrow.” Noctis looked around at the stalls, feeling overwhelmed by the rush of smells, colors and voices.

“Well, we better get him a present now, then, if you want to live past nine o’clock.” Prompto walked toward a stall with cooking utensils. “He’s always complaining about the grater being too small. Maybe a bigger one.”

“He’d like that,” Noctis said blandly, fishing for his wallet while the vendor wrapped the steel box in parchment paper. Ignis’s grater was usually monopolized by vegetables.

“Noct, look,” Prompto said. He wandered off as the merchant was making change, and Noctis placed the brown parcel under his arm before turning around to find him.

“Ah,” Noctis said, once he’d caught up to Prompto. “Hats.”

“I don’t know about this,” Prompto quailed. “I didn’t think about the fact that I’d have to mess up my hair to wear one.”

“Do other blonds get pissed at you for confirming the stereotype?”

“Another dream dashed,” Prompto sighed. “Maybe I’ll come back once I start going bald.”

“Just get it,” Noctis said. The shopkeeper was smiling at their conversation. “Maybe you’ll change your mind.”

“You think so?” Prompto said doubtfully.

Noctis surveyed the sea of hats in the dim artificial light. “Here,” he said, holding out a violet beret with grey stitching.

Prompto turned it over in his hands. “Why this one?”

“Um, it’s purple,” Noctis said, as nonchalantly as he could manage. “It matches your eyes.”

“Dear Diary,” Prompto said, giving him an incredulous look. “Today I found out that despite his wardrobe, my prince isn’t colorblind after all.”

The merchant started to wrap and box the purchase. “You have good taste,” she said to Prompto, handing it to him with a wink.

“I didn’t pick it out, though,” Prompto replied obliviously.

“Take care,” Noctis said, abruptly turning to walk away. As he did, he spotted Gladio towering above the rest of the crowd, scanning around for them. They made eye contact, and Gladio started to push through the market to reach them.

“What’s wrong with you?” Gladio said. He glanced at the packages they were holding. “You were shopping?”

Noctis placed his hand on his hip. “So I spent a few gil. Life goes on, doesn’t it?” he asked flippantly.

Gladio’s hand twitched. “I should slap your sassy little mouth. Why the hell haven’t you been answering our texts or calls? We’ve been trying to raise you two for the last hour!”

Noctis reached for his pocket and pressed against the dark screen of his phone. “You know my phone always dies on car rides that long.”

“Did something happen?” Prompto asked from behind him.

“Imperials killed Jared,” Gladio said bluntly. “Back to the hotel, now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meh main story. There's a much better main story quest not too far in the future (featuring my favourite non-Chocobro character) for which I've already written the scene, and I'm looking forward to that at least.


	9. Burdens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers up to Chapter 6 of FFXV.

Prompto woke up to the sound of children playing in the plaza outside. The louvred doors to the balcony were slightly ajar and the midmorning sun poked fingers of light deep into the room. He blinked and looked over to Noctis’s bed, expecting to see his mop of obsidian hair against the hotel’s cream sheets, but there was only an upturned corner of the duvet and an askew pillow where he had slept.

“Noct?” Prompto called out groggily. He lifted his head and squinted as he surveyed the room. He and Noctis had had the room to themselves the previous night; Gladio and Ignis had stayed with Iris and Talcott. Having an entire hotel bed to himself was a luxury Prompto had never before enjoyed on this trip, but he’d grown so used to having to share with Noctis that it almost felt like something was missing when he’d awoken.

The prince had been in a foul mood for much of the night. Gladio had continued to chew him out on their way back to the hotel, and Noctis had seemed upset and regretful as Talcott told him the story. Prompto had left him alone for the most part, playing on his phone and going through his photographs by himself while Noctis sat in silence on the balcony.

Prompto swung his legs to the side and pushed himself vertical. It was odd that Noctis had not only woken up before him, but presumably gotten dressed and gone out this early. Maybe Ignis had browbeaten Noctis into it, but why would they have left him behind?

Prompto placed his hand on his chin. He suddenly felt concerned and reached for his phone.

 _Went to help Iggy with supplies, think he wants to talk :|_ , read the text from Noctis.

Prompto smiled in relief. He placed his phone back on the nightstand and let himself fall backwards into bed again.

 

* * *

 

“Why’d I have to come again?” Noctis asked, looking up from his phone and pushing it back into his pocket.

“I needed your help with carrying things,” Ignis said, weighing a bunch of bananas.

“Why just me, then?” Noctis grumbled. Ignis had broken down his resistance to getting out of bed without much trouble. On top of that, he had announced that the first dish he would make with his new grater would include shredded cabbage.

“Well, I would like a private word,” Ignis confessed.

“That sounds ominous,” Noctis said, accepting the bag of fruit from Ignis. “You going to bust my balls like Gladio?”

“He was just shaken up because something could have happened to Iris,” Ignis said. “And of course, he’s known Jared and his family for his entire life. He lost someone quite dear to him."

"I know," Noctis said.

"Perhaps most of all—given his appreciation for his duty—he was sick with worry at the thought that you had fallen to the blade of an imperial assassin.”

“I probably deserved some of that dressing down,” Noctis mumbled.

“He feels contrite,” Ignis said. “He’s scared.”

Noctis looked down into the bags he was holding and didn’t reply.

Ignis hovered over the baskets of seeds and grains fronting the stall they’d stopped at, then indicated a few of them for the merchant to shovel into the plastic tubs they carried. “Aren’t you?” he continued.

“Huh?”

“Scared,” Ignis clarified. “You told me the other day that you’d been having nightmares in which you were losing those you loved. You should understand how he feels.”

“Of course I do,” Noctis said. He glared as he added, “I just don’t take it out on other people.”

“Perhaps. But Noct, it wasn’t right of you two to run off without any way for us to contact or find you. Remember that all of Lucis is controlled by the Empire now. They are omnipresent: here in Lestallum, where you may feel the illusion of safety, just as surely as in the middle of their most fortified encampment. And if they find and kill you, then we are all lost.”

“But—”

Ignis handed Noctis another bag. “Allow me to finish. I’d like you to show a bit more forethought from now on. Have Prompto keep us apprised when it’s just the two of you, if that’s easier. But please take this seriously; you are the crown prince and Prompto isn’t just a mate of yours. He also has duties as one of the Crownsguard.” Ignis paused and placed his hand on Noctis’s shoulder. “You’re not a high school student sneaking out to cavort with friends or steal kisses from your sweetheart.”

Noctis’s face reddened and he looked up at Ignis. “What?”

“Merely an example,” Ignis said. He nudged his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and fixed his eyes on the prince. “Not that I’d have any problem with it, if that were the nature of your relationship.”

Noctis gaped at him in horror.

“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” Ignis said quickly. “Why don’t you return to the hotel with those supplies. I’ll finish up at the curatives shop down the road and meet the rest of you there.”

Noctis watched him walk off. “You sure I won’t be attacked and left for dead on the sixty second walk back?” he called after him.

“I’ll be watching you the entire way,” Ignis yelled, without any hint of irony.

Noctis shook his head and started walking down the street leading back to the hotel. He was playing Ignis’s words over and over in his head. _The nature of your relationship_. Noctis felt increasingly hot and uncomfortable under the beating rays of the sun as he relived the conversation in his mind.

 _He knows_ , Noctis thought. _But how could he?_

At the fountain, Noctis turned to look across the plaza at the medical supply vendor. Ignis was standing under the awning in front of it, his eyes on Noctis just as he'd said they would be. He waved to the prince.

Noctis felt his eyes stinging. Even though he knew he shouldn’t, he felt an overwhelming sense of shame as he imagined Ignis conferring with Gladio about his predilections. The two of them whispering about him, forcing the truth out of him, cracking jokes about him. _How did he know?_

A voice was calling his name. “Noct! Hey!”

Noctis looked around the plaza, but the few people nearby were absorbed in their own affairs.

“Up here, Noct!”

Noctis looked up to see Prompto leaning over the balcony of their hotel room, his waist resting against the wrought iron bar of the railing. The blond swept the hair away from his face and waved to him. “Not happy to see me?”

“What?” Noctis said, confused.

“You didn’t wave back.” Prompto picked a small, white flower from the potted vine that trained up into the arbor above him and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger lazily.

“Well, I’ve got like eight shopping bags in my hands,” Noctis replied. Prompto laughed, his hair glittering with sunlight. Prompto was wrong: in that moment, at his most vulnerable, Noctis was overjoyed to see him.

“Get anything interesting?”

“Just food, mostly,” Noctis said. “What were you doing all this time? You’re still in the clothes you slept in.”

“Just lay in bed. Played _King’s Knight_ , did some stuff with my camera, ordered some room service,” Prompto said.

“What a pampered princess,” Noctis teased. “Meanwhile, I have to get out of bed at dawn and lug around bananas and parsnips. Something’s not right here.”

Prompto laughed again. Noctis looked up at him, waiting for him to say something.

“Noct,” Prompto said, scratching his head.

“Prom.”

“Why are we still talking like this?”

Noctis shrugged and swallowed the lump in his throat. “Because it’s more romantic?”

“Not a good enough reason, Prince Charming,” Prompto grinned. He plucked another flower from the vine and threw it down at Noctis. “You okay? Your voice sounds a little peaky.”

“Oh, Ignis just gave me an earful.”

“Lecture hour was in session?”

“Felt like way more than that, trust me.”

“Huh." Prompto glanced back into the room behind him, his long neck mottled with the specks of sun that passed through the arbor. He turned back to Noctis. "Want to play something?”

“Yeah," Noctis breathed. He felt a pang of longing. "Or just flop into bed again.”

“Well,” Prompto stretched and beckoned to him. “Come on.”

Noctis watched him slip between the balcony doors, out of sight. For a few seconds, he let his eyes linger on the absent space against the railing where Prompto had stood, then walked the few steps into the cool lobby of the Leville. At the foot of the staircase, the bellhop asked if he needed help with his bags.

“It’s fine,” Noctis said, then smiled and bounded up the stairs two at a time. After talking with Prompto, the things he carried didn’t seem half as heavy.


	10. Safe I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers up to Chapter 7 of FFXV.

Prompto looked up from the basin and began to dry his face. He stroked the sparse flaxen hairs above his lip, then pulled back his floppy, damp fringe to examine his hairline. His hair was getting thick and unruly; he wondered when they would have time for him to stop and get it cut. Movement at the edge of his vision caught his attention and he cocked his head to see Noctis. The prince had stood up from his bed and was several feet behind him, looking at him in the mirror.

“You need the bathroom?” Prompto asked.

“Nah,” Noctis said. His mouth hung open after the syllable, and Prompto waited for him in anticipation.

“So we’re driving to Cape Caem today?” Prompto said, when he didn’t continue.

Noctis grunted and bent his spine backward until it cracked softly.

“But it’s already eleven,” Prompto noted. “Shouldn’t we have left earlier?”

“Ignis didn’t want another long drive after yesterday,” Noctis said. “We’re going to stop for the night in Old Lestallum. That’s somewhere around the halfway point.”

“You know, we could always help him drive.”

“We’d still all be in the car,” Noctis said, then flashed his sapphire eyes at Prompto, annoyed. “You act like I never do.”

“Well, you make him drive us on the long trips, don’t you?”

“He wants to do it, Prompto. He’s not some sort of slave.”

“Sheesh, relax,” Prompto said, pausing the motion of his comb. “I was mostly talking about myself, anyway,” he mumbled.

Noctis covered his face with his palms. “Sorry, he just said something today that bothered me. Didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that before.” Prompto finished combing around the sides of his head and began working up his quiff. “You want to tell me about it? You know my hairdo takes forever.”

“No!” Noctis squeaked. Prompto grinned at the prince as his face reddened.

“I get it, it’s a private thing,” Prompto said. “Let me guess. Luna?”

Noctis’s eyes darkened and he turned to walk away.

“It was, wasn’t it?” Prompto teased. “I knew you were still thinking about her! The wedding’s off, my ass.”

Noctis crawled into his bed again and picked up his phone. “Play with your chocobo butt and leave me alone.”

Prompto began whistling a schoolyard rhyme about boys and girls while shaking his hips at the mirror. Noctis watched him with a scowl.

"Grow up."

"Never!" Prompto said theatrically.

A key rattled in the lock and Ignis opened the door. He looked down at Noctis and frowned.

“You’re still in bed?”

“No, I’m just waiting for the bathroom,” Noctis mumbled, not looking up at him.

“Dude, you said you didn’t need it!” Prompto said, turning around.

“Noct, Gladio and Iris are waiting for us at the car. We’ve already finished packing everything.” Ignis surveyed the clothes strewn across the floor and sighed. “I told you to be ready to check out by eleven, and it’s now—” he checked his watch. “Eleven-twenty.”

“You’ve been on my back all day,” Noctis seethed. “Can’t you take a break once in a while?”

Ignis looked surprised, but regained his composure and placed his hands on his hips. “Will the daemons take a break when we are still on the road after sundown, all so you could loll about in bed?”

Noctis rolled his eyes and continued staring at his phone. Ignis began packing up Noctis’s suitcase, retrieving the contents scattered around the room.

Prompto was standing above him. “You can use the bathroom now,” he said softly. He had a hesitant look on his face, his lips pursed in bemusement. His hair was still unfinished. Noctis felt his anger ebbing away.

“Sorry,” he said, reaching out for Prompto’s wrist. Prompto flinched as the prince held him around his wristband.

“Come on, you two,” Ignis said, watching them curiously. Noctis recalled their conversation in the market earlier that morning and dropped Prompto’s hand.

“Just give me two minutes,” Noctis said. He strode to the bathroom as Ignis’s eyes darted around Prompto’s features, hoping to divine the answer to an unspoken question.

 

* * *

 

“Finally,” Gladio said, Iris waving to the three approaching men. “We good to go?”

“Yes, Noct was just feeling indisposed,” Ignis fibbed. He passed the two suitcases to Gladio and walked around to the driver’s side of the Regalia.

“You don’t have to lie for me,” Noctis said. “I lost track of time. Sorry to keep you guys waiting.”

Gladio chuckled in approval as he eased the suitcases into the trunk. From the driver’s seat, Ignis gave Noctis a slight smile.

“Don’t forget to put on sunscreen, Noct,” Ignis said, opening the glove compartment and holding out a white tube.

“Yeah, it’s so hot,” Iris said, fanning herself with her hands.

“Oh, I need some,” Prompto said, reaching out to grab the sunscreen from Ignis. He popped open the tube and began smearing a small amount into his freckles.

“Are you excited for the trip, Noct?” Iris asked.

“Not really,” Noctis said. “My butt’s still sore from the drive yesterday.”

Iris laughed and clasped her hands together behind her back. “I heard Caem is really beautiful. You can see all up and down the Lucian coastline and watch the sunset on the water.”

Noctis shrugged. “I’m not really into nature.”

“Oh Noct, why do you have to try to act so cool about everything?” Iris protested, crossing her arms.

Prompto laughed behind him. “No one does blasé like our prince.”

“You know how it is,” Noctis said, scratching his side indifferently. “Ah!” he yelped, something cold against his neck.

Iris and Prompto giggled at his reaction to the sunscreen. “Relax, Your Highness,” Prompto mocked.

Noctis’s face heated as Prompto pressed his fingers into his neck, then crept under the collar of his shirt and began rubbing his shoulders. “I can do it,” he said, not very convincingly.

“I’ll let you do the rest,” Prompto said, holding the tube out to him.

“Come on, you three,” Gladio said, waiting at the door of the back seat.

“Shotgun!” Prompto shouted, leaping toward the car and sliding over the door into the passenger seat. Ignis frowned as the Regalia shook slightly.

“You should let Iris have shotgun,” Noctis said. “I mean, she is the only lady here. No matter how pretty you think you are.”

Prompto buckled his seat belt and blew him a kiss sarcastically.

“It’s alright, Noct,” Iris said. “I don’t mind sitting in the back with you.”

Gladio chuckled. Noctis slid into the back seat behind Ignis and sighed. Iris’s crush on him made him uncomfortable for about half a dozen reasons, but Gladio’s encouragement of it was probably the foremost one.

“All set?” Ignis asked, before pulling out onto the highway. He looked into the rear-view mirror. “And Noct, don’t forget to put that sunscreen on your face and arms.”

 

* * *

 

“So, I’ll just wait here?” Iris said. The five of them stood in a circle at the side of the road in Old Lestallum. The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains to the west.

“It’s not safe to come with us,” Gladio said. “Although, I don’t really like leaving you alone, either.”

“I’ll just wait at the motel,” she replied. “This place seems pretty quiet.”

“Lock the doors and don’t go anywhere,” Gladio ordered. “Even if we’re gone for a long time. Even if morning comes and we haven’t returned. I can’t let anything happen to you.”

Iris blanched. “Can I go to the Crow’s Nest to eat something?”

Ignis laughed. “Of course.”

“I mean don’t leave town. Don’t come looking for us,” Gladio said. “I mean it, Iris.”

“Okay, okay.” She hesitated for a second, then grabbed hold of Noctis’s arm. “Stay safe, Noct.”

Prompto cleared his throat. “What am I, chopped tripe?”

Iris laughed. “You too, Prompto. All of you.” She walked toward the motel, turning back to wave again.

“Iris is so cute,” Prompto said, as the four of them got back into the Regalia. “I remember those teenage crushes. A royal crush would’ve probably been a little too ambitious for me, though.”

“Shut up,” Noctis warned.

“You say that as if it were a long time ago,” Gladio said. “You’re twenty.”

“Leave the poor girl alone,” Ignis said. “Let’s focus on the matter at hand. Infiltrating the base and finding the garrison commander.”

“Sneak around? We should kill them for what they did,” Noctis said, thinking back to Talcott.

“Bloodthirst was not your father’s way,” Ignis chided. “And a direct assault would be foolhardy. We are only four, and know nothing of the base’s defenses.”

“Well, you tell me what the plan is, and I’ll put it into action. With minor modifications, of course.”

Ignis parked the car a discreet distance from the garrison. “No unnecessary risks. Let’s proceed to that watchtower to the northeast and reconnoiter the area. You lead the way and eliminate any MTs we can’t avoid.”

They skirted the perimeter of the fort without incident, arriving at the bottom of the watchtower without having to kill more than a handful of the base’s android guards.

“Security seems light,” Ignis observed.

“Suspicious,” Gladio said.

“Yes,” Ignis replied. “Let’s hurry to the top and figure out what we’re working with.”

Noctis assassinated the last guard with a dagger to the back and motioned for the rest of them to follow him up the stairs.

“I don’t like this,” Ignis murmured, surveying the mostly dark base. “We’re missing something.”

“Or, we just got lucky and don’t have to fight an entire army tonight?” Prompto chimed in hopefully.

“Gladio, Prompto, you two lie in wait by the main entrance. On my signal, try to divert as many of them away from here as possible, then get to safety. Noct and I will penetrate the base clandestinely and detain the commander, then smuggle him out under the cover of your distraction.” Ignis finished and jogged down the stairs; Gladio nodded and followed him.

“Well,” Prompto said, flashing a grin at Noctis. “I’m good at being distracting.”

“Stay safe,” Noctis replied, his voice sounding more worried than he’d intended.

“Says the guy who leaps directly at enemies in every fight,” Prompto teased.

“Sorry, who rescues whom more?” Noctis asked, turning to him with a wry smile.

Prompto rolled his eyes. “My hero, Noct.”

 

* * *

 

“Well, that was easy,” Gladio said. He wrinkled his nose at the burning smell emitting from the base’s destroyed power generator and started stretching from side to side.

“Too easy, obviously,” Ignis said. “Not to mention the commander managed to abscond from custody. I don’t think I’ll be trusting hunters with something so sensitive in future.”

Between them, Prompto looked from one to the other. “Hey, we’re kind of losing sight of the big picture? You know, base destroyed, us still alive?”

“I thought the ‘big picture’ was when you were hiding in the garage, snapping shots of Cindy soaping up the Regalia the other day,” Gladio said.

“What?” Prompto yelped. “Okay, that so did not happen.”

“Uh-huh,” Gladio said.

“Maybe we could continue this conversation somewhere other than the heart of an imperial fortress,” Ignis interrupted. He looked over at Noctis, who was staring up at the night sky. “You alright, Noct?”

“Yeah,” he said, after a few seconds. “I just keep getting this feeling that someone’s watching me.”

“Maybe Ramuh?” Prompto said, as they began to walk back to the main gate. “He always seems pretty interested in what you’re up to.”

“Not what I meant,” Noctis said, the hair at the back of his neck standing on end.

“Awkward question, but can he, like, see you all the time? Like…no matter what you’re doing? Cause that would be more than a little creepy—”

Noctis’s eyes darted up at the whistling of the air above him. He managed to raise his sword above him in time to deflect the head of a polearm, and the woman behind it.

“Hey, pretty boy,” she said, vaulting backward into a half-crouch.

“Get back,” Gladio bellowed, interposing himself between the prince and his attacker.

“What! Who are you? Stay away from him!” Prompto said, raising his revolver.

“Commodore Highwind, a former mercenary in the employ of the Imperial navy,” Ignis whispered to the others. “This ambush must have been the plan all along.”

“Name’s Aranea, since you asked so nicely,” she said to Prompto, sizing him up. “You sure you can be out this late on a school night?”

Prompto’s hands trembled. “Back off,” he said, cocking his gun.

“How about we duel for him?” she quipped, raising her lance. “I could use some eye candy on my ship.”

“I’m up for a dance,” Noctis growled, summoning his glaive.

“Cocky,” she said, her eyes traveling up and down his weapon. “Let’s see if you know how to use it.”

The garrison’s main courtyard rang with the sounds of metal on metal. Prompto was sent flying by one of the dragoon’s shockwaves and landed against the wheels of a troop carrier. Groaning, he reached for a potion at his belt and scrambled up, in time to see Aranea land a clean hit to Noctis’s chest with the blunt end of her lance.

“Noct!” he yelled, running over to him. The prince gasped for air and sat forward, clutching his side. Prompto crushed an elixir in his shaking hands and administered it to Noctis.

“Not bad,” Aranea said. “I’m not really into group stuff though. I think it’s quitting time.”

“What did you do to him?” Prompto shouted, turning to her furiously.

“Relax, Cupcake,” she replied. “That was just a love tap. Your boyfriend will be right as rain by morning.”

Before he could answer, she leapt into the sky and disappeared. A few seconds later, a crimson airship passed over the base, heading northward.

“Breathe, Noct,” Ignis was saying. “Let the medicine do its work.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “Just had the wind knocked out of me.”

“What happened to ‘stay safe?’” Prompto demanded.

“Maybe I just wanted to let you improve your record,” Noctis coughed. He smiled wanly, his face pale in the moonlight.

“Idiot,” Prompto said. He leaned forward on his haunches and wrapped his arms around Noctis. The other two looked at them quizzically.

Noctis winced. “Not so tight,” he said. “Let’s go back to the motel. I’m sure Iris is wondering where we are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aranea is my camp queen, so I'll be writing her as such. To quote our favourite blond, #sorrynotsorry.


	11. Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers up to Chapter 7 of FFXV.

It had only been five weeks since they’d left Insomnia. As Gladio watched Iris gazing out the window of the diner in the morning sun, he thought she looked five years older than when he’d left that day.

“Keep eating, Iris,” he said. She turned and smiled, then brought a small bite to her mouth to satisfy him. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

 _“The whole kingdom is happy,”_ Iris had said at the breakfast table of their family’s home that morning. Her eyes had sparkled as she handed him the day’s paper, the front page prominently featuring publicity shots of Noctis and Lunafreya. _“I can’t wait to see her.”_

 _“Not jealous?”_ Gladio had teased, earning a blush from his sister.

 _“Stop it, Gladdy,”_ she had said, hiding behind her glass of juice.

“Hey, you tired?” Gladio asked her in the present, as she continued to pick at the pancakes.

“I’m okay. Just worried about you guys.”

She looked it. Gladio’s eyes moved from her furrowed brow to the faint circles around her eyes, to the droop of her shoulders and the listless movements of her hand. He clenched his fists in silent rage at the carefree youth the Empire had stolen from his sister.

“I don’t want you to,” Gladio said. “I want you to focus on your studies. When Noct kicks out the Imperials and we can go back home, you better not be behind in school.”

She shook her head and continued looking down at her food.

“Hey, when we get to Caem, you’ll get to hang out with Talcott again,” Gladio said, floundering for a way to raise her spirits. “There’ll be other kids too, probably. You’ll be having so much fun that you’ll forget all about us.”

Iris looked out the window at the cars passing by.

“When we see mom and dad again, they’ll chew me out if they hear that I let you laze around or spend time worrying about us. I’m not looking forward to one of mom’s three-hour rants, you know.”

A tear slid down her cheek, which she wiped away quickly. “Stop, Gladdy. Please just stop.”

Gladio stared down at his hands helplessly. He heard Iris take a sharp breath and looked up to see her trying to wipe her tears away with her bare wrist.

“Here,” Gladio said, pulling a few napkins from the dispenser and passing them to her. She took them silently and began dabbing her face.

The light from outside grew dim as clouds moved in over the sun. In the fluorescent glare of the twenty-four-hour diner, Gladio felt himself losing focus, Iris fading into the washed-out colors around her.

“I’ll be strong, Iris,” he said, his voice breaking. “For you, and mom and dad.” His thoughts traveled back to Aracheole, where Ravus had bested him with little effort. “For Noct, and everyone.”

She had stopped crying; a small pile of damp napkins lay before her and she pointed her chin forward. “We’ll be strong,” she corrected. “You always have me.”

“Okay,” he smiled. “It’s a deal.”

 

* * *

 

Try as he might, Ignis still couldn’t make sense of Aranea’s actions the previous night. She had accosted them dramatically, but without any intention to kill them. Even during the fight, Ignis had noticed her holding back. And when she could have dealt Noctis a serious wound, she had instead batted him away with the butt of her lance.

It all suggested a performance. But for whom?

Ignis shook his head and refocused his gaze on the bookshelf in front of him. His heart had swelled when he’d exited the motel that morning and noticed a bookstore only a few doors down the main street.

“You’re here early, young man,” the shopkeeper said. Ignis felt a hand patting his back. People in the provinces were friendlier, he’d come to realize. He wondered whether the long years of being isolated by the Wall had lent Insomnia its sterile, passionless quality.

“Early to bed, early to rise,” Ignis said cheerfully. “I’m delighted that Old Lestallum has a bookstore. This is my first time in town.”

“Is that right? You’re very welcome here,” she said, looking up at him. She was only slightly more than half his height, though her grey beehive made her appear slightly taller. “Not all of us have abandoned this place for the new town.”

“Ah, Lestallum,” Ignis said. “We just came from there.”

“Too hot for me there,” she commented. “You searching for anything in particular?”

“Ah, yes, as it happens,” Ignis said. “I’m looking for some histories, though I can’t recall all the names involved.”

“That’s quite common,” she replied, her eyes crinkling. “Do you remember what they were about?”

“There are three,” he said. “The first is part of the mythic cycle set in the long war the ancients of Solheim waged against the city-state of Oyorto.”

“One of the richest sources of classical mythology,” she said.

“Indeed. I seem to recall the story of a Solheimian hero who, with his childhood friend, won many great battles. The hero was cold and detached with all others but him, and their contemporaries often referred to them as either half of a whole. When his friend was struck down by the enemy, it was said the hero wailed so woefully that the Oyortoans remaining on the field were driven mad, casting themselves into the sea.”

“Saillech and Frederick,” she nodded.

“That’s it!” he said. “The second I have a better recollection of. The Solheimian warrior-king of late antiquity, Iskandar, and his second-in-command were said to love each other dearly, and compare themselves to Saillech and Frederick.”

“Yes,” she said, smiling at him.

“Ah,” Ignis said, beginning to blush. “The third story is of one of the kings of Lucis, Rufus II, who ruled about fifteen hundred years ago. He spent his life alongside a friend from his youth, a lesser nobleman from one of the outlying earldoms. The two were never seen apart, and the king never married nor produced children, so the line of Lucis passed to his nephew when he died.”

“I think I see what you’re looking for,” she said, beckoning him as she walked toward a shelf on another wall of the shop.

“Oh, they’re not for me,” Ignis said hastily. “I have some friends who might be interested.”

“Is that right?” she said, and laughed kindly. “Well, tell your ‘friends’ to be proud.” She held out three books to him.

“They are my friends,” he protested, taking the books from her hands. “I’m not talking about myself. If I were, I would say so!”

She reached up and placed her hands on his shoulders. “Be fearless,” she said.

The shopkeeper turned and walked to the till. Ignis shook his head in bemusement and handed over the payment for the items. He waved to the bookseller and stepped out onto the street, where he saw Noctis and Prompto shuffling out of the motel, headed for the diner.

“The things I do for you,” Ignis said to himself dryly.

 

* * *

 

“Oh,” Gladio said, looking out the window at Noctis and Prompto. “Look who finally dragged themselves out of bed.”

Iris watched Noctis place his hand around Prompto’s waist. “Noct always seems so happy around Prompto,” she said thoughtfully.

“They never get sick of each other,” Gladio agreed. “No idea how.”

Noctis leaned into Prompto’s ear to say something, then began running away. Prompto caught up to him and slapped him on the buttocks.

“They’re kind of cute together,” Iris murmured.

“What?” Gladio said. “What are you saying, Iris?”

She turned to him. “Haven’t you ever thought that, maybe—”

“No!” Gladio thundered. “They’re just best friends.”

“There’s nothing wrong with it, Gladio,” she said, grinning at his overreaction.

“Of course not,” he said. “That’s just not them, okay? Prompto likes girls—a little too much, come to think of it. And Noct, well, Noct doesn’t really seem to like anyone. You’ve been reading too many of those silly comics.”

Iris just laughed. Despite being flustered, hearing that sound again brought a smile to Gladio’s face.

“What’s up, guys?” Prompto said, sliding into the booth next to Iris. Instead of sitting next to Gladio, Noctis squeezed into the seat next to the blond. Iris raised her eyebrows at Gladio, who pretended not to notice.

“You guys slept late,” Gladio said. “We’re already done eating.”

“Ignis said we could,” Noctis replied, grabbing a menu from the side of the table. “Remember how late we got back last night?”

“How’s your chest feeling, Noct?” Iris asked.

“Like nothing happened,” he said.

“She was a weird one,” Prompto said. “A little like, out there.”

“You should have focused more on the battle and less on her taunts,” Gladio scolded.

“Dude, she was freaking massive. What did you think me and my peashooter were going to accomplish?”

“Yeah,” Gladio ruminated. “She was pretty built.”

“Your type?” Noctis deadpanned.

“She seemed more interested in you, actually,” Gladio said. Noctis rolled his eyes.

“Good morning,” Ignis said, sliding into the booth next to Gladio and placing a paper bag on the table in front of him. “How are we all?”

“Just swell,” Gladio said. “How much time we got?”

“Let’s try to leave in an hour. There’s plenty of time to get to Caem but I want to work in some time for unexpected delays.”

Noctis got up to relay their orders to the server. “What’s that you got?” Prompto asked Ignis.

“Ah, only a few books. There’s a bookstore down the road and I spent quite a while there.”

“What are they about?” Iris asked.

“History,” Ignis said tersely, then placed the books onto the seat next to him. “To tell the truth, I couldn’t tell you much about what’s in them, since I haven’t cracked them open yet.”

“I think I’ll survive,” Prompto said.

Noctis sank down into the booth and leaned against Prompto’s shoulder. “You think those histories could help us find the royal tombs?”

“Perhaps,” Ignis said, shifting uncomfortably. “As I say, I’ll have to have a look first.” Noctis shrugged and turned away from him.

Recounting the stories to the bookseller had nudged Ignis into a pensive mood. He couldn’t help but observe that most of the tales of those who fell in love with another of the same sex ended in tragedy. In the histories, it was sometimes their families who conspired to keep the lovers apart, to betray one or the other of them. Other times, it was the wider society placing implacable obstacles on their journey through life, diverting and confusing the course of true love. Finally, it could be cruel fate, as in the story of Saillech and Frederick. Frederick’s heart was pierced by a bowman’s arrow on the field of battle, just as that of any man. The hero Saillech mourned him, shaking the heavens, as any man losing that most precious to him would.

Ignis smiled, a peal of laughter from Prompto bearing him back from his thoughts. Noctis was looking into Prompto’s eyes with a joy Ignis knew the prince had rarely experienced in his short life. When the time came, and every time thereafter, he would stand up for them. This he promised: their story would end differently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note on the stories Ignis recalls in this chapter for any who are interested: they are all, of course, based on real world examples.
> 
> "The long war the ancients of Solheim waged against the city-state of Oyorto" is a reference to the Trojan War, Oyorto being Troy reversed and with mirrored vowels added. Saillech and Frederick are Achilles and Patroclus, who have been a reference point for male companionship and homoeroticism throughout the ages. Saillech is an anagram of Achilles. Frederick I chose to fit onto what I thought would be naming conventions in a place called "Solheim" and as a reference to Frederick the Great, a Prussian king who, as crown prince, was forced to watch as his father had his purported male lover executed. I made up the thing about the Oyortoans throwing themselves into the sea, but Patroclus's death did lead Achilles to return to the field of battle and take revenge on the Trojans.
> 
> Iskandar, "the Solheimian warrior-king of late antiquity," is the form of Alexander in some languages. Alexander the Great and his partner Hephaestion compared themselves self-consciously to Achilles and Patroclus and similarly have a storied allegorical relationship, and upon Hephaestion's death Alexander was inconsolable until his own death about a year later.
> 
> Rufus Lucis Caelum II is an amalgam of two English kings, William II (often known as William Rufus) and Edward II. From the former comes the detail of never marrying or producing offspring and from the latter the close relationship with a "favourite," Gaveston. Both are often speculated to have been mainly homosexual.
> 
> If you knew all this (very well better than I) and it was all obvious, wonderful! Please forgive any errors I might have made. If any of this is new to you, I hope you found it interesting!


	12. Heroes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite long and wordy, but I think the payoff is worth it.
> 
> Spoilers up to Chapter 7 of FFXV.

Noctis groaned and blinked his eyes. A warm hand was on his shoulder.

“Wake up, sleepyhead!” Iris said.

“Huh? Stop,” Noctis muttered, pushing the hand away.

“Man, I wish I had the talent to fall asleep straight through a four-hour car ride,” Prompto said.

“Noct does seem to enjoy his sleep rather more than the average person,” Ignis commented.

“He fell asleep around the time we passed the Malmalam Thicket,” Iris volunteered.

“Right after telling Ignis to keep driving,” Gladio added.

“You mean that scary forest where witches are supposed to be hiding out?” Noctis said, finally opening his eyes. “Yeah, I vetoed that. Anyway, what’s with ganging up on me?”

“Someone’s feeling a bit delicate,” Ignis said. Noctis pressed his hands into the seat and pushed himself out of the car. “Hungry, Noct? I suppose it’s nearly dinnertime.”

“Maybe he just needs a hug from Prompto,” Iris said. Noctis gave her an annoyed look. “Go on, Prompto.”

“Wait, that’s all it takes to turn a Noctis frown upside down?” Prompto said. He interlocked his hands around Noctis’s far shoulder and gave him a toothy grin. “Why hasn’t anyone said anything all these years?”

“Doesn’t seem to be working,” Gladio said. He looked at Iris smugly. “Guess you guessed wrong, sis.”

“He likely just feels self-conscious,” Ignis said.

“Maybe he needs a kiss, then!” Iris said with glee.

“Sorry, we only do that on our own time,” Prompto joked.

Noctis gently pushed him off. “I’m surrounded by crazy people,” he said glumly.

“Guys!” Talcott called. He, Cindy and Monica were walking down the bluff toward them. “You made it!”

The group caught up, Monica excusing herself after a brief greeting to check on the food in the oven. “Feel free to stay for dinner,” she said. “I really made a lot.”

“I’ll come with you and help,” Iris said. Talcott grabbed onto her arm and started to pull her toward the house. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye!”

“Course not,” Prompto said. The four of them waved back to her.

“I guess you must be excited to see Cindy here,” Noctis said to him when he’d turned around.

“Well, of course I am! You heard her, she and Cid are going to help us get transportation to Altissia.”

“Uh-huh,” Noctis replied. The group continued to walk toward the lighthouse: Ignis and Cindy conferring with each other in front, the two of them in the middle and Gladio bringing up the rear, seemingly deep in thought. Noctis watched jealously as Prompto’s eyes stole a glance down Cindy’s body.

The previous night, Noctis had lapped up Prompto’s ministrations in the aftermath of Aranea’s attack. The blond had tended to him in the car ride back to the motel and then in their room later, bringing him water, applying cream to his bruise and helping him change into his pajamas.

 _“He’s milking it, you know,”_ Gladio had said from his bed, his novel spread across his lap.

 _“Playing you like a fiddle,”_ Ignis had agreed, without looking up from the laundry he was folding.

The two of them had simply carried on, chatting to each other over their phones and only realizing the time once Gladio had started to snore. His ribs being tender had given Noctis a good excuse to sleep apart from Prompto; otherwise, he might not have gotten any rest at all.

Cindy turned around and begin to address all of them with some information about mythril. As she recited several boring tidbits about ore, Prompto’s eyes drifted down to her chest.

“Ah!” Noctis cried, doubling over. “Ah, that hurts.”

“What is it?” Ignis said, rushing over. Prompto and Gladio walked up to him with panic in their eyes.

“My chest,” he said. “Must still be a little raw from yesterday.”

Noctis instantly regretted his deception. Cindy said she would go look for a first aid kit and Prompto helped Noctis walk over to a bench on the side of the lighthouse.

_The King of Lucis, feigning injury for the attention of a straight guy. You really are a disgrace._

_She doesn’t play fair_ , he thought back sardonically, always his defense mechanism. _As if I could pull off that outfit._

Noctis shook his head up at the faces huddled around him. “I feel a lot better, really,” he said, as Cindy and Iris ran up with a box of medical supplies.

 _What would Dad think?_ Noctis shuddered and looked out at the silent ocean. In the cloudy dusk, it stared back at him, waves the same color as his eyes, offering no answers.

“I just want to eat something,” Noctis said. “Please, let’s just all head inside.” Prompto helped him walk down the crooked path toward the Hester home, but the pleasure Noctis had thought he would feel at the gesture had vanished like the light of day.

 

* * *

 

Prompto fished his pajamas out of his bag and laid them on the bedspread. “Hey, thanks for washing the clothes yesterday,” he said to Ignis.

“It was actually Iris who did it, whilst we were at Fort Vaullerey,” Ignis replied from one of the beds on the other side of the room. “I merely folded them.”

“Huh, I’ll have to thank her when I see her,” Prompto said. “What are you reading? That one of those books you bought today?”

“Indeed it is,” Ignis said, with more brio than usual. “Shall I share some of it with you?”

“I guess I’m not doing anything special,” Prompto said.

“Well, with that ringing endorsement, permit me to proceed,” Ignis said, pushing his glasses into position. “The setting is the Oyortoan War, although presumably the Oyortoans would have preferred a different name.”

“The who and where?”

“What did they teach you in that school you and Noct went to? You never read any of the epic poetry about the Oyortoan War?”

“Iggy, you’re assuming I would remember doing such a thing. I’m sure if this is as big of a deal as you say it is then it came up.” He sat down at the foot of Ignis’s bed. “I’m also sure I struggled to keep my eyes open if it did. I’m more of a ‘live in the present’ kind of guy.”

“Don’t take pride in being a philistine.”

“I’m also not a fan of big words,” Prompto teased.

“I see. Well, allow me to edify you regardless. The setting is the Oyortoan War, pitting the Solheimians against the eponymous city-state. There were many prominent figures on both sides, but the greatest Solheimian hero was Saillech, whose feats of strength and bravery were legendary.”

“Was his occupation actually ‘hero’?”

“It very well may have been,” Ignis snapped. “Since all of this was about four thousand years ago, irony might not have yet claimed the term.”

“Alright, so there’s a hero. I’m guessing there was a damsel?” Prompto placed his chin in his hands and affected a falsetto. “Oh Saillech! Won’t you free me from this tower I’m stuck in?”

“Not as such,” Ignis said, deciding to cut to the heart of the matter. “Saillech, it seemed, was in love with his best friend and comrade in arms, and he with him.”

“Oh. Like, a guy?”

“Yes,” Ignis said, pausing. “Two men.”

“Huh. Cool,” Prompto said. He brushed his hair away from his eyes. “Was that like, okay with people?”

“Yes, romantic and sexual relationships between men were regarded as normal in ancient Solheim. Other Solheimians would have hardly seen such a pairing, in and of itself, as worthy of comment.”

“Man,” Prompto said. “Why are people so uptight about it now then?”

“I imagine entire library stacks are devoted to exploring that question,” Ignis said. “What the ancients did remark on was the intensity of the love between Saillech and Frederick. The two had grown up together, and Frederick was the only one to whom the notoriously cold and contemptuous Saillech showed any tenderness.”

“Hey, Noct would like this guy,” Prompto said.

“Perhaps you’re on to something,” Ignis nodded encouragingly. “The two shared a tent; they would set off for the battlefield in the mornings and repair to camp in the evenings as one. As the war dragged on, they increasingly would pass the days together only in each other’s arms, ignoring the outside world.”

“Naughty,” Prompto said. “They just needed someone like you to whip them into shape, Iggy.”

Ignis smiled. “I prefer to nurture the love I see, actually.”

Prompto scoffed. “You’re getting soft.”

“That being said, those in love can still be expected to hold to a schedule like the rest of us,” Ignis declared.

“That’s more like it.” After a pause, Prompto turned to him. “So, what happens to them?”

Ignis hesitated. “Well, there was a political disagreement among the Solheimians that caused Saillech to refuse to continue fighting. He gathered Frederick and his forces, and they set up a new camp. Predictably, the Solheimians began to lose the war, and Frederick, who was the more soft-hearted of the two, pleaded with Saillech to allow him to help protect their comrades. Saillech agreed, but—”

“But what?”

“Frederick was killed in the fighting. Mad with grief, Saillech wailed over Frederick’s body, sending the defenders of Oyorto tumbling from the ramparts and into the sea. Saillech rejoined the war, in effect leading to the victory of the Solheimians, yet also his own death.” Ignis paused for emphasis. “Saillech’s ashes and bones were mixed with Frederick’s, and they were buried together in the town in which they had grown up.”

“Not really a happy ending,” Prompto commented.

“Well, no,” Ignis said, shifting to sit next to Prompto. “But their love for each other was pure. Countless individuals, real and literary, down through the ages have compared themselves to them. And," he added, placing his hand on Prompto's shoulder, "not every such story between heroes has to end in tragedy.”

Prompto seemed to digest this, gazing through the open bedroom door as the muffled voices of the others downstairs filtered up to them.

“Prompto,” Ignis said finally. “If there’s anything you ever need to talk about—about you and Noct, or, or anything—you can turn to me. Always.”

Prompto turned to him, his face a mixture of surprise, confusion and amusement. “Um, thanks.”

Ignis patted Prompto’s shoulder and stood up. “I have other stories as well,” he said, and disappeared down the stairs.

Prompto got up from the bed and walked over to the landing. Ignis, Monica and Talcott were talking in the kitchen over a pot of tea from which cups were just being poured. The three of them paused their conversation as the wind outside howled. Picking up his blanket to brave the wind, Prompto decided to go look for Noctis.

 

* * *

 

“Why are you still out here?” Prompto said, closing the door behind him.

“Oh, just felt like some fresh air.” Iris said. “Well, and I came to look for Gladdy. He and Noct are talking up there by the lighthouse.”

“Sure you weren’t looking for Noct?” Prompto said, nudging her with his elbow.

“No, I wasn’t,” she said slowly. Her hair whipped around as a gust hit them. “I bet you were, though.”

“Yeah, just wondering where they were.”

Gladio turned from Noctis and began walking toward them. The prince remained with his back to them, looking out over the ocean.

“Here comes Gladio. I’m going to go see what Noct’s up to.”

“You should, he'll probably be happy to see you.”

“I don’t know about that,” Prompto smirked. “I don’t think Noct is ever happy.”

Iris shook her head. “You’re wrong, Prom. You do make him happy.”

Prompto furrowed his brow at her. “People really seem to be overestimating my abilities today.”

“Don’t sell yourself short!” Iris laughed.

Prompto started to walk down the porch steps. “You staying out here? I can leave my blanket with you.”

“I’ll probably head back in. I think the tea must be ready by now.”

Prompto nodded and started to walk away from the house. At the point where the trampled grass met with the gravel path to the lighthouse, Prompto turned to see Gladio waiting for him next to a hedge of purple lilacs.

“Have a good dad chat?” Prompto asked.

“Nah. I was just telling him I’m going to be doing something on my own for a while.”

“What, like, leaving us?” A gust scattered lilac petals into the air and around their feet.

“Just for a while. I want to spend a little more time with Iris. Then I’ve got to take care of something.”

“Well, should we wait for you?”

“Wait?” Gladio narrowed his eyes at him. “I know I’m really amazing, but you don’t need me to hold your hand. And if you’re in trouble, I’ll still have my phone.”

“Okay,” Prompto said reluctantly.

“His Highness already tried the reverse psychology thing on me. Speaking of, you should probably go grab him before a stiff breeze carries him off.”

“Yup, the last thing we need is for him to fly. Then he really will be insufferable.”

Gladio clapped him on the back and started to walk off. “Keep him grounded.”

Prompto wound up the dirt and gravel path that led to the tip of the promontory. Noctis stood on the far side of the lighthouse from the approach, his back rigid, his jacket flapping in the breeze. He tilted his head slightly when Prompto’s foot crunched over some dead leaves, but didn’t turn around.

“Careful, you’re pretty close to the edge there,” Prompto said. “And from what I remember, you weren’t a very good swimmer in gym class.”

“I’m fine,” Noctis said, but stepped back anyway. His hair shimmered silver and indigo under the nearly-full moon.

“Man,” Prompto began. “I just had this kind of weird conversation with Ignis. At first I thought he was just rambling about history, but then he started giving me odd looks and asking me if there was anything I wanted to tell him.”

“I have to tell you something,” Noctis blurted out.

“Oh. Well, that doesn’t sound good,” Prompto said. He walked up to the prince so that they were standing shoulder to shoulder. “If you’re kicking me out, can I at least keep the outfit?”

“I faked my chest being sore earlier,” he said. “When we got here. I’m sorry.”

Prompto grinned. “Hey, I knew you were milking it a little all along, don’t worry.”

“No, I mean, I was completely fine. I’ve been physically back to normal since I woke up this morning, at least.”

“Well, you usually are a diva.”

“You’re not getting it,” Noctis said, turning to him and balling his fists. “Stop joking around. I lied about something no one should ever lie about.”

“Well, why did you do it?” Prompto asked, placing a hand on his shoulder blade. “Maybe you had a good reason? Or you didn’t mean to?”

Noctis pushed his hand off. “No, I didn’t have a good reason. But I don’t want to tell you why. I just needed to tell you the truth.”

He finished and stared down at the ground. Prompto watched him for a few seconds, then opened his arms and beckoned him.

“What?” Noctis mumbled.

“Come on,” Prompto said. “Come on!” he said more loudly, reaching out to pull a surprised Noctis into his arms.

“None of this makes sense,” Noctis said, his voice muffled in the layers of T-shirt and blanket over Prompto’s shoulder. He lifted his head and looked up at the moon. “You should be angry, disappointed—”

“Noct,” Prompto said. “I’m not Gladio and I’m not Ignis.”

“Thank the Astrals for that,” Noctis joked, squeezing his arms around Prompto’s waist. “I couldn’t deal with a second one of either.”

“You’re not just a prince, or a king, or a hero. You get to make mistakes,” Prompto said. “You get to do stupid things. You know? You get to be a guy just like any other guy. Like all the rest of us.”

“Prompto,” Noctis sighed.

“You told the truth, you apologized,” Prompto continued. He rubbed his hands back and forth across Noctis’s back and leaned his head into his. “You’re still my hero, Noct.”

Prompto heard Noctis’s breath catch, then felt his lips against his neck, leaving a kiss where his shoulder began. Prompto tensed and closed his eyes.

“Sorry,” Noctis said, sounding uncertain.

Prompto wasn’t sure what to say. The moment unspooled, seconds passing like hours, as the electric discomfort that follows the discovery of unexpected beauty washed through his body.

“You have flower petals in your hair,” Noctis finally said. “I was wondering why you smelled like lilacs.”

“Oh yeah, the wind must have carried them when I walked by.” Prompto felt the heat of Noctis’s breath at the nape of his neck.

“Shall I leave them in, or take them out?” Noctis said. His voice was low, quiet.

Prompto exhaled and let his hands fall from Noctis. “It’s fine,” he said, pulling away gently.

“Something wrong?” Noctis said. He was averting his eyes.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Prompto said. “I was just thinking about how long we’ve been out here.”

“Oh yeah, of course,” Noctis said, still not looking at him. “We really should be getting back.”

Noctis turned and began walking down the path to the house, his speed increasing with every step he took.

“Noct, wait!” Prompto said. He watched as Noctis’s form vanished behind the lilacs.

Prompto reached up to the petals in his hair as he followed in Noctis’s footsteps, a few of them falling to the place between his neck and shoulder where the prince’s lips had rested. He didn’t know what it meant to be a hero, and he doubted that any number of Ignis’s stories would help him find out. But when joined to Noctis in that moment, he had never wanted more to be heroic.


	13. Entangled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be at least one more chapter today. I decided to break up what I'd written because it was too long together, so this is the first one.

“Noct, is something the matter?” Ignis said from the backseat.

Noctis turned down the radio and gripped the steering wheel. “No.”

“Only I didn’t have to drag you out of bed this morning. You were awake before me, and I can’t remember when that’s ever happened.”

“Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf,” Noctis said, taking a right off the bridge and onto the western highway.

“Whoa, look at the Rock of Ravatogh!” Prompto said, hitting the back of his hand against Noctis’s upper arm. Noctis flinched and pressed his lips together.

“I highly doubt that,” Ignis was saying. “Did you even go to sleep last night, Noct?”

Noctis didn’t reply. A new song began to play from the radio and he switched it off.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this close to it, it’s gargantuan!” Prompto said, awestruck. “Noct, look!”

“I’m driving!” Noctis yelled. He paused and lowered his voice. “Have to keep my eyes on the road.”

“Okay, sorry,” Prompto said. He looked down and started flicking through the pictures on his camera.

“Noct, you sure you don’t want me to take over?” Ignis said. “It has been several hours.”

“I’m fine,” he said brusquely. “Stop fussing. I just want to concentrate.”

Noctis had gone to sleep the previous night, but only after several hours of tossing and turning as the wind howled against the windowpanes. When he’d gotten back from the lighthouse, he’d changed into his pajamas and gotten directly under the covers, pretending to already be asleep when he heard Prompto’s footfalls alongside his bed. He was thankful that the Hesters ran a boarding house and each of them had a bed to themselves.

Once he’d heard Prompto’s breathing slow, he turned to look over at him. He thought he spotted a few scattered flecks of purple in his hair, but Prompto was too far away from him in the half-light to be sure. Until he drifted off in fits and starts, Noctis battled the dread he felt over having to face him in the morning.

“So, you just going to ignore me all day?” Prompto was asking.

“What?” Noctis sputtered. It wasn’t like Prompto to openly confront him.

“I asked if we could stop at the souvenir shop, and you just drove past it without saying anything."

“Oh, sorry,” Noctis mumbled. He pulled onto the shoulder to make a U-turn. “I was just thinking about stuff. Why do you want to go there anyway?”

“I thought of something I want to get there. Well, and I need to use the facilities.”

“Noct,” Ignis said as they pulled into the parking lot across from the souvenir shop. “I’m going to take over driving when we continue on. I’m sorry, but you need a break.”

“Fine,” Noctis said, flicking his hand away. He leaned against the hood of the Regalia and watched Prompto hop across the street in search of the restroom.

“You’re being off with him today,” Ignis said. “Did something happen?”

“No,” Noctis lied. “Just didn’t get much sleep. The wind was really loud.”

“Ah yes. Monica was telling me this morning that a squall moved in late in the evening and ruined some of the plants in the garden. I think I’d already nodded off before it got too bad.”

“Lucky you,” Noctis said. “You pack anything for lunch?”

“I fixed some sandwiches and a few other things,” Ignis said, walking to the cooler in the back seat.

“What kind of sandwiches?” Noctis asked suspiciously.

“Roasted peppers and mushrooms with aegir root and a pea and beetroot spread.”

Noctis glared at Ignis as he held out a container filled with sandwiches to him.

“They’re quite good, I assure you. I had the first one I made for breakfast.”

“Vegetables are one thing, but not even any meat? Are you trying to kill me?”

“On the contrary, I very much want you to live longer. Weaning you off your deplorable taste in food is one way I can accomplish that.”

“I’m not eating it,” Noctis said, crossing his arms.

“Noct, please,” Ignis said, setting the sandwiches down and browsing through the rest of the items in the cooler. “I tire of this conversation; we have it every time I make a dish that isn’t something one would find on the floor of a drunk student’s dorm room at three in the morning.”

“That’s weirdly specific.”

“If all you ever want are sub sandwiches filled with processed meat and mayonnaise, you can make them at camp yourself.” Ignis brought his fingers to his temple and flourished. “For my part, I’ll continue to cook you nourishing meals, and wait until you mature into appreciating them.”

“Nice guilt trip,” Noctis sneered. “I’ll try a bite. But I want a bag of potato chips.”

“I don’t have any. Go buy some at the shop if you’re that adamant.” Ignis picked up the cooler and placed it next to one of the tables in front of the caravan.

Noctis sighed and brought the sandwich to his mouth.

“Whoa!” Prompto said, walking up to them with a bag in his hand. “You actually got him to eat it!”

“You knew about this?” Noctis asked accusingly, the bitter taste of aegir root making his eyes water.

“Hey, I’m not getting involved. I just saw him making them while you were in the shower.”

“My turn for the loo,” Ignis said, dusting his hands. “I left the food by that table, Prompto.”

“If you want to call it that,” Noctis said, watching Ignis walk off. He turned to Prompto. “What took you so long?”

“Kind of an awkward question,” Prompto said, unboxing the sandwiches. “What if I’d been having bowel trouble?”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “I saw your bag.”

“Oh. Yeah, I got something for you.”

“For me?” Noctis arched his eyebrows.

“Yeah, it took me a while since I wasn’t sure what to get. I had to ask the guy working there to help me.” Prompto bit down into his sandwich.

“Huh.” Noctis smiled for the first time that day. “What is it?”

“Finish your sandwich, and I’ll show you.”

“I’m a victim of blackmail,” Noctis said, choking down another slimy bite of vegetables. He took several more quick bites and raised the last corner of the sandwich. “That enough?”

“Good boy,” Prompto teased. He reached into the paper bag, then pulled out his fist. “Open your hand.”

“Should I close my eyes, too?” Noctis asked, grinning.

“If you want.” Noctis shut his eyes as Prompto placed his hand on his. “Okay, there you go.”

Noctis opened his eyes. In his upturned palm lay a miniature pink moogle and purple dragon.

“Lures?” Noctis said.

“It’s why I took so long. I didn’t know what all of them did. You know I don’t know anything about fishing. The guy said that the form was the main difference between them, so I just choose the colors I liked the most.”

“You mean the ones I’d find the funniest.”

“Not everything has to be black, Noct,” Prompto said. He put down his sandwich. “I wanted to get you something to, um, apologize.”

Noctis’s eyes shot up. “For what?”

“Last night, I think I said or did something that upset you. And today you haven’t really been talking to me. So, I figured,” Prompto looked down. “Well, I’m sorry.”

“Prompto, you’re—” Noctis swallowed. “You’re amazing.”

Prompto chuckled, still looking at the ground.

“You are.” Noctis closed his fist around the two tiny figurines and fought back tears. “I wasn’t upset at you, at all. I can’t believe you got me this.”

“They’re just a couple lures, Noct,” Prompto said, looking up. “It was only a few gil.”

“I thought you wouldn’t want to talk to me.” Noctis loosened his grip on the lures and placed them on the table between them. Prompto tilted his head. “That you would be mad at me?”

“Okay, I’m really confused now. I already told you I don’t care about the chest thing.”

_He’s pretending it didn’t happen_ , Noctis’s internal monologue said. _He wants to forget how gross you are._

_Can’t you just fuck off?_ Noctis thought back. He felt beads of sweat gathering on his neck.

“Noct?” Prompto was saying.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you,” Noctis blurted out. “On the neck, I mean. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Oh, that! Why would I be mad about that?” He shifted in his seat and looked off at the view of the river. “I mean, we all get a little carried away sometimes, right?”

“Right, of course,” Noctis said. Ignis was walking up to them.

“I’ll eat quickly, then we can set off before it gets too late,” Ignis said, sitting down between them.

“I finished my sandwich,” Noctis said.

“Revelation after revelation,” Ignis replied.

“You can thank me for that,” Prompto said. “I got him to eat it pretty quickly.”

“Aren’t you the miracle worker,” Ignis said. “What about the crust, Noct?”

“Let’s take things one step at a time.” Noctis stood up and stretched. “Prompto, want to go look around the store with me? I’ll teach you about the different lures. And we can get potato chips.”

“No, they’ll go straight to my belly. But I’ll go with you,” he said, springing up. “See you in a bit, Iggy.”

Ignis waved them off as he chewed his sandwich. He’d happened to overhear them discussing a kiss on his way back to the table but hadn’t gathered much more. Perhaps the story he’d told Prompto had hit home after all, and he had contributed to bringing them together. The more sobering possibility was that his interference had led to the tension in the car all day.

_It’s best if I step back a bit_ , Ignis said to himself. He placed the last bite of the sandwich onto his tongue and began tidying up the table. A flash of color like spring flowers caught his eye.

“What’s this?” Ignis murmured. He picked up the two lures; they fell into each other and became entangled in his hand. Rather than attempt to separate the two with his unpracticed fingers, he placed them in his pocket for safekeeping.


	14. Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: I'm going to be raising the rating from T to M beginning with the next chapter (Chapter 15). There will be more sexual language and imagery, and possibly more language. Not porn by any means, but better to be safe than sorry.
> 
> I sincerely hope this won't affect anyone negatively.
> 
> Spoilers up to Chapter 8 of FFXV.

Prompto yawned. “It’s weird how sleepy riding in the car makes you.”

“And you wonder why I don’t ask you to drive,” Ignis said.

“Remember that time you almost got us all killed?” Noctis added.

“There was a dog in the road!” Prompto protested, to the laughter of the other two.

“Well, we’re nearly there,” Ignis said. “Once we know the area is secure, we can set up camp and get an early night. You two will have to take over Gladio’s duties and start and tend the fire.”

“I’ve been seeing a lot of the Empire’s ships in the sky since we passed through the tunnel,” Noctis said. “We should find that thing we need and get out of here as soon as possible.”

“Agreed,” Ignis responded.

“That view is incredible,” Prompto said, leaning over the passenger seat to look out at the Vesperpool. “Too late for photographs, but maybe tomorrow morning when the light is good.”

“That reminds me, we didn’t look at your pictures last night,” Noctis said.

“They’re not going anywhere,” Prompto said, patting his hair down in the breeze. “Iggy, you sure we’re alright to keep driving?”

“The trail to the site Cindy mentioned should be just a few minutes away. I only want to assess what we’re working with before the end of the day. And that task may actually be safer in the dark.”

“You’re the boss,” Prompto said, then turned to the back seat. “But Noct, if we come across any daemons, can we please run away?”

“Okay,” Noctis said, grinning.

“You didn’t even need to cajole him,” Ignis noted. “You wield strange magics indeed.”

“I guess everyone needs a hidden talent,” Prompto said.

The car came to a stop at the trailhead. “We follow Noct’s lead. Prompto, you watch his back. I’ll keep an eye behind us.”

They crouched down and began walking. Prompto giggled in the darkness.

“What’s so funny?” Noctis demanded.

“Ah, I was just thinking about how much of an action movie we are right now. Sometimes I still can’t believe we’re doing this.”

“Focus, Prompto,” Ignis whispered.

They skirted around a flock of cockatrices and basilisks.

“Good eating,” Noctis said.

“If you want to brave them poisoning your blood, addling your wits and turning you to stone when forced to defend themselves,” Ignis said. “Then yes.”

“I’m not afraid of some birds,” Noctis said.

Ignis sighed. “If only Gladio were here. I’m simply not cut out to be a disciplinarian.”

They approached the stone arch of a lost civilization, under which a tall, hatted figure was silhouetted in the early moonlight.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise?”

The three of them stood. “I doubt that word applies to anyone here,” Ignis replied.

“Oh dear, one of you is missing. Was he kicked out of the band? I consider this a definite improvement; he never seemed to like me very much.”

Noctis placed his hands on his hips. “Sorry, which one of us is it you think _does_ like you?”

“You must get your insolent wit from your mother’s side,” Ardyn said. “Regis was certainly never the sharpest knife in the drawer. Or maybe it skips generations.”

Noctis lunged forward and grabbed Ardyn’s lapels. “Shut up! Don’t you dare talk about him!”

Prompto and Ignis pulled Noctis back; he tried to squirm free.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You must know you’re surrounded by magitek infantry right now, and they’re far less indulgent than I.”

“Enough games,” Ignis said. “Since you’re waiting for us, you must know why we’re here.”

“Of course,” Ardyn said, turning and beckoning them to follow. “Mythril can be such a pain to procure when one rules over a backwater. Fortunately for you, I live to serve.”

“Until you don’t,” Noctis spat behind him.

“Truer words were never spoken,” Ardyn said. “Excuse me for a minute.”

“You need to resist provocation, Noct,” Ignis said, turning to him. “You can’t explode every time someone says an unkind word about your father. He of all people would want you to suffer these slings and arrows with composure.”

“Like he did?” Noctis said spitefully. “Like he left me alone to deal with this mess?”

“I see you’re in no mood to listen. I’ll leave you alone until you’ve cooled down.” Ignis walked off to examine the area around them.

Prompto placed his hand on Noctis’s back gingerly. The prince didn’t brush him away, but neither did he lean toward him. Prompto blinked as one of the magitek troopers turned on a lamp above the crates they were sitting on.

“Thanks!” Prompto said to it. He thought he saw the trooper nod faintly toward him as it resumed its post.

“Did you just say ‘thanks’ to an MT?” Noctis said next to him.

“Well, why not? It’s polite!”

Noctis laughed and shifted over on the bench to be closer to him. Prompto wrapped his arm more tightly around the prince, letting his hand drop to Noctis’s waist.

“Maybe this is all a misunderstanding,” Noctis murmured against Prompto’s shoulder. “The MTs, the empire, they don’t really hate us and want to destroy us. They just want us to be friendly to them. The war will end and we’ll all live together in harmony.”

“It was just a gesture,” Prompto said.

“Completely you,” Noctis said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you be mean to anyone, even back in school, when you really had a reason to.”

“Huh?”

“I know you got bullied a lot,” Noctis said, his voice distant. “Even though you don’t like talking about that. And I always wanted to do something, but you acted kind of weird to me whenever I saw you, so I thought you might have resented me for being the prince.”

“ _Wow_ , you’re arrogant,” Prompto said, tickling Noctis’s side. Noctis yelped and started laughing. “As if I cared about that!”

“Well, I know that now,” Noctis said. “I was dumb then. And scared of what people might say, or think. So I didn’t do anything.”

Prompto stroked his hand along Noctis’s waist, staying silent.

“Do you forgive me?” Noctis said hopefully.

“Noct, I stopped caring about any of that a long time ago.” Prompto looked down at Noctis’s hair and pulled out a few leaves of grass that had collected along the path to where they were. “I swear, you remember everything. All that matters is what I have now.”

“Well, if it isn’t the happy couple.”

Prompto sprang up. “You!”

“Keep your frosting on, Cupcake. Weren’t you just telling the prince there to let bygones be bygones?”

Prompto crossed his arms. “Why should I believe anything you say?”

“What you believe isn’t up to me,” Aranea said. “But I’m the only way you’re getting into those ruins. My men are doing some of the Empire’s dirty work in there and it wouldn’t be safe for anyone if you go wandering in unescorted.”

“What do you mean, ‘dirty work’?” Noctis asked.

“I’ll tell you about it once we’re inside if you like. Let’s head in soon though. The seal over the door only opens at night, so the earlier the better.”

“Commodore Highwind,” Ignis said. “Ignis Scientia.”

“Pleasure. I know who the prince is, obviously. But I’ve never been introduced to my biggest fan here.”

“Maybe if you didn’t dive at people with spears when they’re just going about their business, you’d have more friends,” Prompto said.

Aranea laughed. “You know, you’ve got a point there.”

“Prompto Argentum,” he said, shaking her hand.

“Wasn’t there another one of you?” Aranea asked. The four of them started walking up the arcade leading to the temple entrance.

“He’s working on another project,” Ignis said. The door yawned open as they approached, and the group stepped inside.

“Ugh, it smells awful!” Prompto said. “What died?”

“A lot of things,” Aranea said. They descended the steps slowly in the darkness, each of them angling their lights steadily in front of their feet. “This place was used for a lot of dark shit by the civilization that built it. It’s rife with daemon activity. So the empire uses it to harvest daemons.”

Aranea continued to describe the Empire’s work with daemons until the group was ambushed by a group of undead. After they had been dispatched, she pointed at the ceiling above them.

“Water,” Noctis said. “Above us?”

“Oh man, I so need a picture of this!” Prompto raised his camera and darted into different positions along the balcony, photographing the central chamber.

“So, you use a lance,” Aranea said to Ignis. “Not too shabby.”

Noctis cleared his throat. “I use a lance, too. Sometimes.”

“Always has to be about him, doesn’t it,” Aranea said to Ignis.

He sighed. “You see my burden.”

They passed over the narrow remnants of a collapsed walkway, then turned and headed down another staircase. “The two of them seem close,” Aranea said.

“Noct and Prompto? Indeed,” Ignis said.

“Did anyone know…that about the prince when he got forced into that arranged marriage?”

“I shan’t discuss this,” Ignis replied firmly. “Talk to them if you’re interested. I’ve interfered too much already.”

“So there _is_ something going on,” Aranea said.

“For some reason, I didn’t imagine an Imperial commodore would be such a busybody.”

“Normally I’m not. I’ve just been bored lately.” She stopped and surveyed the room they’d entered. “And what can I say, I’ve taken a liking to Prompto.”

“That makes one of you, at least.”

“He’ll come around. We just got off to a bad start,” Aranea said. She turned around to see Noctis and Prompto shoulder to shoulder, taking a selfie. “Hey lovebirds! Get over here.”

“What’s so urgent?” Noctis asked.

“See that long bridge ahead? It’s pretty much guaranteed to be a trap.”

“How do you know?” Prompto said.

“There isn’t a sign advertising it,” she said. “But you get a sense for these things eventually, if you survive as long as I have.”

“So I guess we’re going another way?” Noctis said.

“There is no other way. We’ll just have to roll with the punches. Stick together and stay focused.” Aranea turned and led the way down the bridge.

“Perhaps someone heard my prayers for Gladio to return to us,” Ignis said.

At the midpoint of the footbridge, an iron giant climbed from a Void portal and raised its sword.

“And here comes the trap,” Aranea sighed, bracing for the fall.


	15. Darkness

“Noct, Iggy?” Prompto yelled. “Aranea!”

“Yeah, alive,” she said. There was hurting in too many different places for her to pay attention to them individually. “I usually do so much better with falls.”

“My flashlight’s broken!” Prompto called.

“The one on my helmet’s working.” Aranea grunted as she massaged the ache in her hip. “It’s probably not as bright as what you’re used to, though. I don’t need as much.”

She adjusted her visor and looked around her, trying to find Prompto. “Hey Cupcake?” she said.

“Here,” he said. “I can’t summon my gun either. It must be the magic in this place. I might be too far from Noct.”

“He and Ignis were a little behind us on the bridge. They might still be up there.” Aranea began walking slowly in his direction.

“Or something might have happened to him. He could be in trouble!”

“Don’t think about that now. We have to get out of this pit before we can help anyone.” She nearly tripped over a human bone. “I think this was some kind of garbage dump for this place’s victims.”

Prompto squealed. “I think there’s a ribcage next to me! Get me out of here!”

She sighed and started to crawl toward his voice. He sounded near; hopefully there wouldn’t be any rubble in the way.

“Keep talking,” she ordered. “You okay?”

“My butt hurts,” he said. “I think I landed on it.”

“Nothing broken? Sharp pain anywhere?”

“Ah, no. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a bruise on my right cheek though.”

Aranea smiled as she spotted him in her helmet’s wan light. “What will His Highness say?” she asked with a wink.

Prompto looked at her blankly.

_Maybe he hit his head_ , Aranea thought. “About your butt being bruised?”

“I can’t tell him that,” Prompto said. “I probably wasn’t even in my right mind when I admitted it to you.”

“If you say so. Well, let’s find a way forward,” she said. “Can you stand? Put your arm around my shoulder.”

“What if Noct and Iggy are trapped under the rubble?” Prompto hobbled up and placed his arm over her. “We have to save them!”

“The first thing we need to do is try to return to that bridge. It’s the last place we saw each other.”

Prompto hesitated. “If you think so.”

“Just trust me. If they’re not there, we can get my men and organize a search party.”

They hobbled a few steps before Aranea realized that she had no idea where to go.

“There’s a compass in the pouch at the back of my waist,” she said to Prompto. “You can feel it by the long chain attached to it. Grab it and tell me which way north is. I remember the main stairwell was on that end of the ruins.”

He fished around in the dark for a while before finally producing it. “Turn toward me?”

She looked down at his hands and they began walking north. “It’s important that we not waste time walking in circles. By our echoes, I’m guessing that this room is massive.”

Prompto chuckled. “Man.”

“Something’s funny about this?” Aranea asked.

“Oh, just how cool what we’re doing right now is. A helpless guy being rescued from certain doom by a brave gal.” He laughed again.

_Definitely a head injury_ , she thought. _Unless he’s always like this_.

“Well,” Aranea said. “You definitely make a much better damsel than me.”

“Funny, Noct says that to me all the time.”

“I’m sure he does, Cupcake,” Aranea said, as they ambled up to a massive pile of rubble. There was a narrow space beneath a pillar that had fallen to its side under which she estimated they could pass.

“Yeah,” Prompto gushed, as Aranea kicked the pillar a few times to test its stability. “If I screw up in battle, he’ll warp over to save me, and we pretend he’s rescuing me like princes do princesses in the fairy tales and legends.”

“Precious,” Aranea said. “Let’s focus on survival for a few seconds, though. I’m going to crawl through this gap, and then once I’m on the other side I’ll help you through it. Try to pass through as quickly as you can. You really don’t want to find out what happens if that thing gives way with you underneath it.”

“Got it,” Prompto said, saluting.

Aranea began to crawl. It was more capacious than it had appeared, and she had little trouble reaching the other side.

“Your turn,” she called. “Just enter where I did and follow my voice.”

“Right,” Prompto said. “Here I go.” In his clothes, he was more flexible than Aranea in her armor, and managed to wriggle through quickly.

“So,” Aranea began, letting go of Prompto’s hand after helping him up. “What exactly is the situation between you and loverboy? Are you the new fiancé?”

Prompto coughed wetly and turned around from peering into the sightless pit. “Ah, excuse me?”

“You and the prince? Don’t play coy, it bores me.” She flicked her hair behind her shoulder and began to feel around for the nearest solid surface.

Prompto’s violet eyes widened, magenta splotches breaking out across his cheeks. “I—I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about, Aranea. I just thought you were mocking us all this time.”

“Huh, I believe you,” she replied, motioning him over. She placed his hands on her shoulders and they began to slowly make their way across the room, following the molding on the chamber wall. They walked for a few minutes. Prompto held onto her and pondered her words.

“Why did you think—” Prompto sputtered.

Aranea laughed. “Cupcake, I’m a busty broad with hundreds of men under my command. Sometimes we’re out flying the skies for months without dropping anchor in a port. I know what lust looks like. I know what sexual tension feels like.” A weakened knob of stone disintegrated in her palm, and she took a moment to right herself. “The looks he gives you? Drunken sailors who haven’t seen a woman other than yours truly for entire seasons don’t look as hungry as that.”

Prompto’s face was on fire. He felt woozy and clutched tightly to Aranea to stop himself from stumbling.

“Yup, sexual tension,” she was continuing. “When it’s there, you can feel it, surely as a heat wave in the Leiden desert.” They’d reached the corner of the wall, and she paused to consider which direction to follow. “Or in the case of you two, a fiery meteor carrying Ifrit himself, hurtling into the Rock of Ravatogh, creating perennial global summer for the next fifty generations.”

“Okay, I get the picture,” Prompto said softly.

“Embarrassed? Aw, you’re so adorable.” Aranea patted his hand and pointed in front of them. “I think that’s a staircase.”

They walked delicately through the vestibule. He did, of course, feel mortified; if the same iron giant from before were to appear at that moment, he’d strongly consider leaping into the portal to the Void from whence it came.

“It’s best if we crawl up these stairs,” Aranea said. “Less chance of a broken neck that way. Don’t look back until you reach the top.”

Prompto dropped to his hands and knees and looked down at his crotch. The thing was, even though he was burning with embarrassment, he felt distinctly aroused as well. Aranea’s description of the way Noctis looked at him—of what she’d thought was between them—had led to an uncomfortable tightening in his pants, and he’d spaced himself farther and farther behind her on their tandem walk because of it.

“What are you doing?” Prompto whispered downward. The throbbing against his zipper showed no sign of abating.

“Huh?” Aranea grunted, her voice distant. Prompto scrambled to catch up with her.

At the top of the staircase, they collapsed against opposite walls, panting. Aranea pulled off her helmet and drew her hands through her hair, then placed the helmet between them so they could see each other’s faces. She unscrewed a flask and took a swig, then wiped her chin and tossed the flask to Prompto. He imbibed the water gratefully, taking several breaks to draw deep breaths.

“I have one with whiskey as well,” Aranea said absentmindedly. “We better save that one; who knows how deep this place goes.”

Prompto handed back the flask and shifted into a cross-legged position. “Aranea, you said earlier—”

She turned to him, her expression uncharacteristically gentle. “Yeah?”

“You said Noctis was—” he looked down at the floor and began tracing his finger around the edges of the stonework. “That he was checking me out.”

Aranea guffawed. “That’s one way to put it.”

“But you also said it was the ‘two’ of us. And you thought I was feeling the same things.” Prompto violently scratched his fingernail into the dirt grooves beneath him. She didn’t say anything, so he ventured on. “Well, um…why?”

Aranea sighed, and Prompto looked up at her. She angled her head slightly downward, her eyes coming to rest between his legs, and raised her eyebrows. With a yelp of shame, Prompto covered his lap with both hands and glared at her.

“I told you, I’ve got an eye for this,” she said. “Honestly, I figured it was already an ongoing thing, considering how blatantly obvious it seemed.” She took a last sip of water and returned the flask to her hip before adding: “Plus, he’s too pretty to be straight.”

“Isn’t that a little stereotypical?” Prompto demanded.

Aranea pursed her lips nonchalantly. “Am I wrong?” She carried on before Prompto could think of anything to say. “And you’re kind of all over him. All the time.”

Prompto looked down and tensed his fingers together. “We’re best friends,” he mumbled.

Aranea stood up in a single, explosive motion. “Done talking about this, Cupcake,” she said, dusting her hands against the back of her tabard and picking up her helmet. “I don’t have the answers. Your cock knows way more than me about you and the prince. Way more than I want to know.”

Prompto turned away from her and looked at the ground, feeling utterly humiliated. Aranea glanced at him, her expression softening. She squatted down and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Prompto pushed her hand off, snorting back tears.

“Hey,” Aranea said. She returned her hand and kneaded Prompto’s shoulder softly as he took sharp, ragged breaths. “Why are you upset? Because I took you by surprise?”

Prompto shook his head a single time and tried to wipe his face dry with the backs of his hands.

“Because I told you something you already knew?”

Prompto cleared his throat and looked directly in front of him. “I don’t know. I just want to forget this entire conversation.” He glowered up at her. “I wish I’d fallen into that pit by myself.”

“You don’t want to be by yourself, kid. Trust me, I know all about that.” His eyes mellowed, and she sat back next to him against the wall. “The thing is, you don’t have to. I can tell you with certainty that His Highness is tearing this place apart right now, going out of his mind trying to find you. He probably hasn’t even checked his hair _once_ since you got separated.”

“I—”

“Do you know how many people don’t have that?” she pressed on. “Who desperately want to have that, and never will?”

Prompto considered this. He placed his hand on Aranea’s and turned to look at her.

“Save the sympathy; I wasn’t talking about myself. Well, not now at least.” A smile flitted across her lips, the visit of a bittersweet memory. “I handle things my way. But you, Cupcake, wouldn’t last a week in my shoes.”

“Thanks,” Prompto grumbled.

“You’re fortunate. Both of you.” She patted his shoulder, then withdrew her hand. “Him more, though.”

Prompto wrinkled his nose. “Why him more?”

“If you haven’t noticed his ego by now then love really is blind,” Aranea answered. Prompto blushed, and several seconds of silent acknowledgement passed between them. Then he remembered their fall to the bottom floor of the dungeon and started fussing with his ruined hair.

“I’m sure he won’t care that it got a little tousled,” Aranea said, rolling her eyes. She reached for her hip flask. “Let’s inaugurate the whiskey now. I think I need it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the title: the two characters find themselves in literal darkness of course, but my grandfather once told me that he'd learned the most important things about himself in the darkness. For the chapter that crystallizes Prompto's self-discovery about him and Noctis, I thought this was fitting.


	16. Breaths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers up to Chapter 8 of FFXV.

“Let go,” Noctis said. “I’m warning you, Ignis.”

“Noct, you know very little about me if you think I would place my own self-preservation over protecting you.” His arms held fast to Noctis’s chest.

Noctis shouted in frustration and wriggled futilely. Ignis’s arms bound him in iron determination.

“The longer you persist in this ridiculous flight of fancy, the longer you delay us actually beginning a search.” He deftly moved back to avoid Noctis’s attempt to elbow him. “We can’t see anything; you’d be very likely warping into a fatal drop.”

“There’s only one way down,” Noctis said. He leaned forward and bellowed hoarsely into the darkness. “Prompto!”

Bracing, Ignis pulled back with all the strength he could muster. The two men tottered away from the precipice, then crashed into the dusty bricks of the footbridge.

“Ah,” Ignis groaned. He had taken the brunt of the fall, making sure to cushion Noctis from the impact with his body. Closing his eyes in pain, he raised his hands to his head and pressed his fingers to the bump that was forming.

Ignis heard a scrambling sound and opened his eyes to see Noctis crawling back to the edge of the abyss. “Noct,” he said fuzzily, sitting up.

“I’m sorry, Iggy. I have to try to save him.” Noctis reached down and touched Ignis’s shin for a second, then turned to summon his sword.

“Noct!” Prompto’s voice called. “Iggy?”

“Prompto?” In a flash of blue, Noctis was gone. Ignis blinked at the negative space, then turned to see Prompto and Aranea walking toward them, shoulder to shoulder.

“Hey, watch it!” Aranea said, as Noctis exited his warp and barged into her. His momentum carried him forward into an uneven cobblestone, and he tripped and fell into Prompto, knocking them both to the ground.

“Ow,” Prompto complained. He opened his eyes to see Noctis’s face only a few inches away. The prince’s hair hung down, tickling Prompto’s skin. The sensation made him smile despite the dull pain where his body had hit the floor. Noctis glanced down at Prompto’s lips and smiled back at him.

“Hi,” Prompto said, after several seconds of quiet. Most of Noctis’s weight rested against him, their bodies flush against each other from their navels down. Noctis’s fingers pressed into the stone on either side of Prompto’s hair.

“Hi,” Noctis said, his eyes flicking across Prompto’s features in the scattered beam of his jacket’s flashlight. Prompto felt Noctis’s breath quick and hot against his mouth. “How are you?”

Prompto laughed. “You’re on top of me.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said coyly, his tongue traveling over his upper lip. After a moment, he blinked and started shifting. “Oh, sorry.”

Noctis rose to his feet and helped Prompto stand, then wrapped his arm around the blond’s waist and pulled him into a hug. Prompto patted Noctis’s shoulders as the prince held him tight against him.

“I’m happy you’re safe. I thought—” Noctis paused. “Are you okay? Hurt?”

Prompto shook his head. “Some bruises. Maybe some more after you tackled me.”

“I fell!” Noctis protested.

“Yeah, it was embarrassing. You even warped for it.”

“This is the thanks I get for worrying about you,” Noctis grumbled. He tilted his head toward Prompto and sniffed. “Some gratitude. And is that whiskey on your breath?”

“Oh yeah, Aranea and I drank a few shots together.”

“You lightweight,” Noctis said, as Prompto giggled and leaned into him. He gently slapped the blond’s back. “You’re drunk?”

“I had to keep up with her,” Prompto chuckled, pulling back from the embrace. “Noct, what happened to you? Did you fall down as well?”

“No, Ignis and I were farther back than you two, so we managed to hang on. Wait, how did you get back up here so fast?”

Prompto quirked his eyebrows. “It’s been hours, hasn’t it? How long did you expect us to take? We even stopped and had a long conversation, and there were like a thousand stairs to climb along the way.” He blinked. “Or something like that. I wasn’t counting, really.”

“Prompto, it’s literally only been like five minutes. I was just about to go down there to start searching for you.” Noctis placed his hands on Prompto’s shoulders and shook. “Prom, how drunk are you? Imagining entire conversations?”

Prompto batted his hands away. “I didn’t imagine it! And if it’s only been as long as you say, how could I already be tipsy?”

“You got me there,” Noctis said, scratching his head.

“I believe we’ve figured that one out,” Ignis said, as he and Aranea ambled up to them. “I’m relieved to see you’re safe, Prompto.”

“You too, Iggy. You okay?” Prompto asked.

“I have a bump to the head, thanks to Noct. He went half-crazed with worry over you, and I had to wrestle him back from the edge of the abyss.”

“Don’t exaggerate,” Noctis muttered.

“Tell that to the golf ball that’s formed behind my left ear,” Ignis said. “You haven’t heard the last of this, I promise you.”

“Someone’s not getting dessert tonight,” Aranea said.

“Anyway, about the time difference. Prompto, show us your phone.”

Prompto unlocked and handed over his phone to Ignis with a bemused look.

“Yes, this seems to confirm what we saw when the Commodore and I compared our watches. It appears that the passage of time dilates as one moves further down into these ruins. This is why your phone shows a time just past eleven, whilst for the two of us who were left up here it’s still a quarter to nine.”

“So that’s why the MTs have been able to get so much done in the ruins each night,” Aranea said. “And here I thought it was my inspiring leadership.”

“Extrapolating from this, I imagine that it’s even earlier at the entrance to the complex, that is to say, the rest of the world. We’ll have to remember to reset our devices when we exit.”

Prompto stroked his chin and smiled. “Wait, does that mean we might actually get to go to sleep tonight? Sweet!”

Ignis chuckled. “Full glad I am to have you back, Prompto. And you, Commodore.”

“Oh please, aren’t we on first name terms by now?”

“As you wish,” Ignis smiled. “Now, if only we knew how to proceed.”

As if on cue, stone and mortar rose from the pit below them, reassembling with a groan into the footbridge they had attempted to cross earlier.

“Do we brave it?” Ignis contemplated.

“No way!” Prompto said. “I’m not falling down to the bottom of that hole a second time.”

“Don’t you remember what I said earlier? There’s no other way to the central chamber.” Aranea flipped her visor open and drank from her flask. “And we’ll be prepared this time, right?”

“Of course,” Ignis said.

“Anyone want a little whiskey to steel their nerves?” she asked.

“It’s probably best if we all stay sober,” Ignis frowned.

Prompto started giggling and let his face fall into Noctis’s armpit. The prince looked down at him quizzically and patted his head.

“Too late for that,” Aranea observed. “Okay, let’s move out.”

 

* * *

 

“So Noct, do you think that bird thing was like, guarding the mythril? Did it know what it was?”

“How could it? It’s just a stupid bird. Although that reminds me—” Noctis turned to Ignis. “Iggy, I just remembered that flock we saw by the trail on the way over here. Feel like making my favorite rice bowl when we get to camp?”

“Truthfully, no. I’ve had enough fighting for today. We’ve been up for almost twenty-four hours. In real time, that is, longer in the ruins, which reminds me: everyone, get your devices ready to be reset. I can see the entrance up ahead.”

Noctis groaned. “I was really looking forward to eating that.”

“You have the brass neck to ask me to make your favorite foods when I’m still sore about your antics earlier? In both ways, I’ll add.”

“Haven’t you gotten over that yet?”

“Let’s look at the ledger. I haven’t received an apology; nor have you acknowledged that you were wrong and won’t behave the same in future; and finally, you want to shift the blame for the entire episode onto me. So, no, actually, I haven’t gotten over it.”

Prompto laughed. “Just say you’re sorry, Noct.”

“Fine,” Noctis sighed, blinking as they emerged into the morning sun. “I’m sorry, you were right and it was all my fault. Now can we go kill them and take their meat and eggs?”

“I think I’ll savor my victory for a while before I give you an answer,” Ignis said smugly. Prompto took a picture of his smirk and Noctis’s glare.

“Well boys, this was fun, but we part ways here,” Aranea said. “I have reports to receive, a camp to run, communications to respond to and all the other things that make this job a colossal pain in the ass.” She turned to them. “Oh, and before I forget, I’m flying past Lestallum later today, if you and the car want to hitch a ride.”

“We accept,” Ignis said. “In spite of myself, I’m finding the idea of sleeping in a bed irresistible.”

“Come find me when you’re ready, then,” she replied. Noctis and Ignis turned to exit the camp, Noctis single-mindedly attempting to cajole Ignis into cooking the rice bowl.

“Aranea,” Prompto said. He looked down and shifted his feet back and forth. “Thanks for the talk back there.”

“Cupcake. Prompto,” she said, raising his chin with her hand. His eyes were wide and wet. “I think you know what you want. Or at least, you have a good idea.”

“You act like it’s so easy,” he said, blinking rapidly. “He’s a prince—well, king now, I guess—and I don’t even know if he’s—you know.”

Aranea stared at him impassively, so he continued.

“On top of that, I don’t even know if I’m—I mean, I’ve always liked girls, even though I would think some guys were handsome, but doesn’t everyone think that? Not to mention that he has a fiancée, and even if he didn’t, why would a king want to be with me? I’m nobody, really.” He finished and took a deep breath.

“Okay,” Aranea said. “But do you want to be with him? Does he make you happy? Do you love him? I’m pretty sure I already know what his answers would be.”

“How could I answer those questions? I only just realized the possibility a few hours ago!”

“You _do_ know the answers,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “So I want you to take all that crap you just said into your hands, toss it as far as you can throw it over the Vesperpool and let it sink to the bottom.”

“I wish I were like you, Aranea,” Prompto sighed. “I don’t think I could ever do that.”

“The world is heading to dark places, Cupcake. Trust me, I’ve seen a little of what’s coming.” She placed her hands on his shoulders. “I want you and the prince to be happy in the little time there is left before everything goes to shit. And if he’s the only person who can save all of us, then he’ll need you. He can’t do it on his own.”

“No pressure, Prompto,” he joked.

“Remember how unafraid you were when we first met at that Imperial base? I thought, ‘this kid’s got guts.’ I knew I liked you from that moment.” He tilted his head down and she shook him gently to get him to look back up. “ _That’s_ who you are, Prompto. You’re brave. You’re strong. And your love for Noctis only makes you more so.”

Prompto leaned forward suddenly to embrace Aranea, taking her by surprise.

“I can’t believe I’m saying these things,” she said wistfully. “I sound like a granny.”

Prompto laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“You’re not going to have this talk from me again,” Aranea warned, as they separated. “I hate repeating myself, and I hate sappiness, so this is the best you’re getting.”

“Understood,” Prompto said, smiling. “I’ll remember everything you’ve said.”

“And I want an invite to the wedding,” she continued. “It’s been a while since I’ve had some good cake. Food in the Imperial Navy is the pits.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I mean, there is the whole saving the world thing to take care of first, you know?”

“Best of luck with that,” Aranea replied. “Hopefully we’re all still alive for the celebration.”

“I’m going to catch up with the guys,” Prompto said. “I’ll see you later!”

“Yup,” Aranea said. She watched him run toward the trail away from the ruins. When he’d vanished into the tall grass, she turned to look through the papers scattered on her makeshift desk, thinking of the paths she hadn’t taken and those still open to her.

 

* * *

 

Ignis waved to him. “Prompto, are you hungry?”

“What you got?” Prompto asked, hopping up the last step to the haven.

“Well, I was too tired to cook anything special. But there’s some dried meat and smoked fish, cheeses, toast and jam and some fruit I sliced up.” Ignis gestured in the direction of the food.

“Iggy, that actually sounds amazing,” Prompto said. He washed his hands in the trough at the side of the camp stove, then began arranging pieces of food on his plate.

“It’s just as well that I didn’t cook,” Ignis was saying. “Noct dove into the tent to go to sleep just as soon as we finished setting it up.”

“I have a hard time going to sleep if I’m hungry,” Prompto said, taking a bite of his toast and sitting in the chair next to Ignis.

“Noct has never had the best appetite,” Ignis said. “That’s part of why I’m always trying to get him to eat more healthfully.”

“You look pretty sleepy yourself, Iggy,” Prompto said. Ignis was talking to him with his eyes closed, reclining back in the camping chair. “Sure you don’t want to hit the sack as well?”

“I’m trying not to. I think I’ll find it hard to get to bed tonight if I fall asleep now. I imagine I’ll sleep like the dead once we get to Lestallum; we were in those ruins for what felt like an eternity.” Ignis slumped down further into his seat. “At some point after all this is done, Lucis will have to send researchers back to this place to study its manipulation of time.”

Prompto ate silently for a few minutes, mulling over his conversations with Aranea. He had agreed with, even felt exhilarated by, many of her assessments. During their trek through the ruins, in the lulls between the fighting against daemons, Prompto had let his mind freely explore the idea of him and Noctis together. He imagined the two of them in matching suits at their wedding; then himself in a white dress and Noctis in a black tuxedo; then Noctis in a black dress and himself in a white tuxedo; then the two of them jumping into the Regalia to go on their honeymoon, the paint job switched to a _Just Married_ decal by Cindy. He imagined adopting pets with Noctis and then adopting children with him, the latter appearing in Prompto’s mind as miniature versions of themselves. (Prompto tried, however, to avoid thinking too much about sex, since he was self-conscious about being caught looking at Noctis, close by throughout the dungeon, while thinking lewd thoughts.) As his fantasies had grown more and more whimsical, Prompto giggled more frequently, causing Noctis to repeatedly give him concerned looks, thinking it was the whiskey. Naturally, this only made it harder for Prompto to stifle his laughter.

The picture Aranea had painted for him excited him, but when Prompto thought about what any of it meant in practice, he felt mired in uncertainty. It confused him how he was able to so easily come up with visions of romancing Noctis when he had never contemplated such a relationship before, or how easily he was getting aroused by thoughts of undressing Noctis when he had never thought of him sexually in the past. Maybe all of this was a foolish phase that had been brought on by spending all of their time together and experiencing so many traumatic things with only each other to lean on. Moreover, he had always been attracted to women and Noctis was engaged to one, so the entire idea could be a house of cards. Every new angle from which Prompto examined the concept revealed another complication, and even Aranea’s rallying at the end of the day hadn’t been able to change that.

Prompto sighed and looked down at his empty plate. A wall of clouds had moved in from the northeast, blotting out the sun. He turned his head to see that Ignis had nodded off, his breath coming peacefully through his slightly-opened mouth.

Deciding on sleep, Prompto stood and quietly placed his plate next to the camping stove. He unzipped the tent and found his blanket in his suitcase, then walked over to Ignis and gingerly placed it over his body. Satisfied, Prompto ducked into the tent and zipped up the door behind him.

He undressed quickly, then kneeled down onto his sleeping bag and looked over at Noctis’s sleeping form; as always, the prince rested on his side, slightly curled up. Prompto could tell that he had been tired, because Noctis only snored when he was exhausted. With an arch of his eyebrows, Prompto realized that ever since learning this, he had always found it cute.

“Sleeping well?” Prompto whispered, touching his hand gently to Noctis’s hair. He drew his hand back and sat on his pillow for a few seconds, then opened the zipper on his own sleeping bag slowly enough to only make the softest of noises. With equal care, he stepped into it and redid the zipper, stopping low enough to leave his arms free.

Prompto turned to lie on his side and studied Noctis’s sleeping features. He thought back to the photograph he’d taken of the slumbering prince a week or so before and wondered what it had meant then as well as now. More than most people, Prompto knew that a camera both recorded facts in plain sight and revealed truths deeply hidden. In the dark quiet of the tent, Noctis’s breaths, steady as the turning of the cosmos, hinted at one such truth. Prompto searched Noctis’s closed eyes one last time for answers before shutting his own to join him.


	17. Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers up to Chapter 8 of FFXV.

“Gladio!” Ignis waved. Prompto looked up from his phone to see Gladio and Noctis walking down the skybridge toward them, helmets under their arms.

“What?” Prompto wrapped his hands over the top of the gate and pushed himself up. He squinted at the dark line across Gladio’s forehead, unsure if it was a trick of the sunset shadows. “So that’s who the ‘other hunter’ was? Did you know about this, Holly?”

“How could I? We didn’t even know you guys were coming.” She smiled at the other two men as they reached the gate. “You know, I was wary of entrusting this job to a single man, but he assured me the prince would vouch for him. I should have known.”

“He’s alright,” Noctis said, looking up at Gladio. “I mostly make him look good.”

“You’d be roadkill a hundred times over by now without me,” Gladio replied, clapping Noctis on the back hard enough to make him stagger forward. The other three laughed; Noctis started using his helmet as a mirror to fix some strands of hair.

“Gladio, you have another scar,” Ignis observed.

“Long story.” Gladio traced his fingers down the length of the wound. “I’ll tell you about it at camp sometime.”

“I’m just glad you’re back,” Prompto said, taking a picture of Gladio and Noctis posing together, the skybridge lit dramatically in the twilight.

“Thanks. Feels nice to be appreciated,” Gladio said.

“Yeah, I had to carry way more stuff when we broke camp.”

“You’ve been spending too much time around Noct,” Gladio said, as the two of them walked through the gate. He hugged Ignis and Prompto. “Leave the unfunny wisecracks to His Majesty.”

“Stop by before you leave town again,” Holly said. “I’ll try to find two more thermal suits for you guys in case we have any more trouble in the power plant. And thanks so much for your help.”

“No, thank _you_ for keeping the power on,” Gladio said. “It means I can take a hot shower for the first time in days.”

“Yeah, I think we all noticed that,” Noctis said, holding his nose.

“You think you smell like a field of sylleblossoms?” Gladio cupped Noctis’s head with his hand and mussed his hair. “Think again, princess.”

“I just finished fixing it!” Noctis yelled.

“Aren’t you glad I’m back? Let’s go grab the stuff in the car. Unless you guys already checked in?”

“Prompto and I took care of it, actually, whilst you two were in the power plant. Your suitcase is still in the Regalia, though. I didn’t know you’d be here.” Ignis yawned. “Apologies. My body clock is a bit out of sorts after so many hours in that strange ruin.”

“I don’t mind the stroll through town,” Gladio said, beginning to walk. “You can fill me in on everything that’s happened.”

“Go on to the hotel,” Ignis said to the other two, who waved back to him. “We’ll catch you up.”

“So Noct,” Prompto said, as the two of them turned to take the path through the market. “What do you want to do tonight? We must be taking tomorrow off, right?”

Noctis grinned. “You read my mind. I’m thinking, lazing in bed until noon, then some waffles for breakfast at that bread place by the highway.”

“After that, the arcade?”

Noctis placed his arm around Prompto’s shoulder. “See, this is why I love spending time with you.” The sleeve of his thermal suit was scratchy and warm against Prompto’s neck. Prompto stole a glance at him, trying to discern whether he meant anything more by that remark.

“Hey, that hat lady from the last time we were here is waving at us,” Noctis said, as the two of them strolled through the marketplace’s north entrance. He lifted the arm that wasn’t around Prompto’s shoulder to acknowledge her.

“Noct,” Prompto began. He shook off Noctis’s hand, drawing a surprised look from the prince. “So, I was wondering something. Now that we have that mythril ore for the ship, we’re probably heading to Altissia soon, right?

“That’s the plan,” Noctis said, with a slight roll of his eyes.

“Well, that means we might see Luna soon, right?” Noctis stared straight forward and began picking up his pace. “Noct?”

“Right.”

“Yeah. Um, how do you feel about that?”

Noctis stopped walking and shrugged. A group of shoppers behind them grumbled and pushed against Prompto to get past. “Fine, I guess. Why are you always so interested in this?”

Prompto blushed. “What are you talking about? I’m not.”

“It seems like you’re way more interested in Luna than I am. You’re always the one who brings her up.”

“So,” Prompto said intently. “You’re _not_ interested in her, then?”

“I can’t believe this,” Noctis said, gritting his teeth. “Are you seriously asking to get with my fiancée?”

“No! That’s not what I meant—” Noctis began stalking off toward the Leville, and Prompto hurried after him. “Noct, please!”

Noctis threw Prompto’s hand off his back. “I don’t want to talk to you right now. Go hang out with Iggy and Gladio and I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Noct,” Prompto said, grabbing at Noctis’s hand. Noctis glared and crossed his arms. “Forget I said anything, please. It just came out wrong.”

“How the fuck did you think it would come out?” Noctis looked at him with a cruel hardness in his eyes that Prompto had never before seen. “I wish you would stop with all these comments about women you barely know. They make you sound like a loser.”

Prompto brought his hands to his face and started sobbing. The tears were hot against his skin as people in the street turned to stare. Feeling a spasm of pain in his throat, Prompto stumbled backward and leaned against the nearby column of a villa balcony. Sexual confusion, humiliation and Noctis’s confirmation that Prompto was what he feared himself to be swirled in a toxic brew in his head.

He felt a glove on his waist pulling him upright. Prompto let his hands drop, and in the blurry view of his feet he saw Noctis beside him, walking him across the plaza to the hotel. He matched Noctis’s pace, wishing more than anything to be out of the view of the city’s strangers and behind the closed door of their room.

As soon as Noctis unlocked and opened the door, Prompto staggered to the foot of the bed and sat down, feeling fresh tears coming on. Noctis clicked the door shut and placed his helmet on the table.

“Prompto,” Noctis said. “Hang on, let me get out of this stupid outfit.”

Prompto glanced up to see him stepping carefully out of the oversized legs of the thermal suit. Once he had finished, he left the garment on the ground and sat down next to Prompto.

“I’m sorry,” he said. He placed his hand on the bed between them. “I’m—I’m sorry. I really am.”

Prompto shook his head. “You’re just sorry because I made you feel bad. By crying.” He looked up at Noctis, who had started tearing up as well. “You meant everything you said. I could hear it in your voice.”

“No, Prompto,” Noctis said, his voice wavering. “I said it because I wanted to hurt you. Yeah, I did want to make you cry, and I knew how because you’re so honest with me.”

Prompto looked down at his hands. “Most of the time.”

“I’m sorry because I’m a piece of shit for lashing out at you. You’d—” Noctis edged his hand closer, until it was nearly at Prompto’s knee. “You’d never do that to me. You’re too gentle and sweet.”

Prompto let out a choked laugh. “So cheesy. How did you say that with a straight face?”

Noctis grinned and moved across the bed toward him. “I know what you like, I guess.”

“I’d never do that to you, Noct,” Prompto said, raising his head to look Noctis in the eye. “I wasn’t asking about Luna because of—that. I’ve never even thought of her in that way, not once.”

“Of course,” Noctis said. “I got it wrong. Like I said, I’m a dumbass. Or a piece of shit. What was it I said?”

“Let’s just say all of the above,” Prompto said, earning a tickle to the side from the prince. “It just seemed like you blew up when I asked about her. And I thought you might be kind of nervous about seeing her after, you know, everything’s that happened.”

Noctis sighed. “It wasn’t ever our choice to get engaged. That got decided at the negotiating table.”

“I know.” Prompto hesitated, then reached for Noctis’s hand, and the prince instantly grasped it tightly.

“I always had a bad feeling about the deal. You know you can’t make it through grade school in Insomnia without learning that the Empire’s defining trait is treachery. Turns out everyone on our side knew the whole thing was a sham all along and didn’t feel like telling their useful idiot here that bit of news. Oh, and now they’re all dead or scattered to the four winds and I have to pick up the pieces.”

Prompto let go of Noctis’s hand. Noctis looked at him, perplexed, until he brought his arm around to Noctis’s other side and pulled him toward him.

“I always like crying on your shoulder,” Noctis said dryly, leaning into Prompto’s arm. “You don’t tell me I’m wrong as much as other people do.”

“Is that a good thing? Maybe I just don’t know very much,” Prompto chuckled.

“You know a lot. You know how to make me feel better,” Noctis murmured. “You know that I need a place to be at peace sometimes. To feel normal again. To feel like—like I’m at home at the end of the day.”

“Noct.” Prompto tensed his arms. “I—"

“Sorry,” Noctis said. “Getting carried away again, I know.” He sat up and looked over at the slats of moonlight along the carpet. “We’ve been sitting in the dark all this time.”

Prompto took his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen as Noctis turned on the various lamps around the room. “I wonder where Iggy and Gladio are? I thought they were just going for the suitcase.”

Noctis stopped in the middle of the room and turned to Prompto with his hands on his hips. “I should take a shower before they get back. You want to as well?”

Prompto looked up from his phone with a start. “Ah—um, together?” He scanned up and down Noctis’s body.

“No!” Noctis said hastily. He thrust his hands into his pockets as blood rushed to his face. “After me. I was just asking so I knew whether I should take a quick one or not.”

“Oh, duh,” Prompto said. “As if, right? I don’t think we need to get that close.” His gaze had settled at Noctis’s hips for several seconds before he realized and averted his eyes.

“So you are, right? Not to put too fine a point on it, but my face was just by your armpit and you might want to seriously consider it.”

Prompto laughed. “Yeah, yeah. And then dinner?”

“Sounds nice,” Noctis said. He walked up to Prompto and patted his shoulder. “Sorry again.”

“It’s nothing—I mean, don’t worry about it.” Prompto looked into his eyes for a few seconds, then swallowed. He gestured to the bathroom. “You better get in the shower then, I guess.”

Noctis nodded and walked through the door, shutting it behind him.

Prompto stretched his arms above him and exhaled, then fell backwards. He looked up at the screen of his phone to see that Ignis had texted him, letting him know that he and Gladio were eating at the noodle stand.

“So that’s where they’ve been all this time,” Prompto said to himself. He felt a falling in his chest as he realized that he and Noctis would be going out to dinner on their own. With a pout of his lips, he mused over whether he had anything dapper to wear.

_But you asked him, and he was jealous when he thought you liked Luna. That means he’s straight._

Prompto pressed his fingertips around his eyes and groaned. This was all so complicated. He’d never given much thought to people’s sexualities before, including his own. Because he was attracted to women, he slotted into what society expected, and hadn’t, until now, had much reason to entertain the possibility that he was attracted to men as well.

“Oh!” He snapped his fingers as he decided what to wear. Prompto leaned over the side of the bed and unzipped his suitcase, then pawed through it. When he found the brown paper box wrapped in its linen bow he smiled and held it to his chest.

Prompto heard the shower turn off and finished getting his clothes and toiletries together. He tapped a beat against the floor and nodded his head along to it, waiting for Noctis to emerge from the bathroom. _It’s not a date, you weirdo_ , he thought, but smiled anyway. He looked up at the ceiling and said out loud to himself: “Keep it together, Prompto.”

 

* * *

 

“Okay, you can look now,” Prompto said, stepping out of the bathroom.

Noctis turned around. “Um—”

“Dude, is it horrible? I hope not. Maybe it’s good that we’re going out when it’s nighttime; less people will notice.”

Noctis picked up his wallet and slid it into his pocket. “It’s actually nice in a way. I don’t know, I’ve just never seen you in a hat before.”

“Sure you have. Remember when I used to wear those beanies to go jogging in the winter?”

“That’s not a hat,” Noctis said. “That’s like, a sleeve for your head.”

Prompto examined the beret in the mirror. “Maybe this is an acquired taste. I kind of miss my hair right now.”

“It hasn’t fallen out,” Noctis said, rolling his eyes. “You can play with it all you want when we get home.”

“As opposed to playing with it everywhere like you do? Okay, let’s go before I lose my nerve,” Prompto said, turning off the bathroom light.

“You do look like an artist, though,” Noctis said, opening the door and waiting for Prompto. “A sleeveless shirt with a beret? You just need sandals and pants that aren’t long enough for your legs now.”

“You checked your phone, right? It has a charge?”

“Yup. We won’t be interrupted this time,” Noctis smiled. They walked onto the landing and Prompto locked the door behind them. “What do you feel like eating?”

“We could go to that restaurant on the main square,” Prompto said, peering over the railing at the hotel lobby. “The one with the curries?”

“You and your curries. What is it about them you like so much?”

“Well, they’re spicy and warm, and they have lots of different flavors all at once. I can’t really explain it. Why do you like those greasy sandwiches so much?”

“Why so sensitive? I was just curious,” Noctis teased. “You don’t even order your curry that spicy.”

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be being nice to me after this afternoon? Not picking on my love for curry?”

“Sorry.” Noctis glanced at something behind Prompto. “You know I can’t help myself.”

“Because it’s me?”

Noctis pulled Prompto toward him and gave him a wry smile. Prompto’s gaze flicked between Noctis’s eyes and mouth. “No, I just like making light of everyone around me.”

“Noct?” Prompto said, their faces only a few inches apart.

“You were standing in the doorway, silly,” Noctis said. Prompto turned to see a large group of travelers had pushed past them into the hotel lobby.

“Oh, yeah, me being oblivious as usual,” Prompto replied. Noctis’s hand was still pressed against the small of his back. “Good thing you were there to keep me from getting trampled.”

“Aren’t I always?”

Prompto reached up to his head as they turned to walk down the steps to the plaza. “Hey Noct, you think they liked my beret?”

“Prom, are you going to ask me this every time we pass someone?”

“I might if you don’t answer.”

“I’m sure they thought it was dashing,” Noctis said. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

A light mist of rain had settled over Lestallum, providing relief from the heat and causing the evening colors of the city to blur into a vivid, impressionistic canvas. “Wow,” Prompto said, looking up at the strings of lights over the narrow road that ran to the center of town. “It’s so pretty here at night. I wish I’d brought my camera.”

“Makes me miss Insomnia,” Noctis said, stopping at the top of the street and turning to look down at the view. “Remember when we used to go out at nights? Now we’re stuck at camp by sundown most of the time.”

“The twenty-four-hour noodle bar by the theater?”

“You’ll make me cry,” Noctis joked.

“Although I guess Ignis is like your round-the-clock restaurant now.”

Noctis scoffed. “If you’d ever been on the receiving end of his wrath when woken up at two in the morning, you’d know how wrong that statement is.”

“Hey, remember that midnight premiere we went to senior year? I feel like I haven’t been to a movie in ages.”

“ _Doctor Daemonwall III_? Didn’t you cover your eyes when he turned that woman into a tonberry?”

“Of course you had to bring that up,” Prompto said. “Is there any embarrassing thing I’ve done in the past that you don’t remember?”

“What do you think?” Noctis grinned. They had reached the restaurant; the server placed some menus for them at a table for two under the colonnade.

“You could at least pretend.” Prompto collapsed into one of the chairs. “I wonder if other people who are stuck with a friend they grew up with have this problem.”

“Stuck for life,” Noctis pointed out. “My loyal Crownsguard.”

Prompto looked over the menu and sighed. “Where did it all go wrong?”

“You act like being bonded to me for eternity is so awful,” Noctis said. He fluttered his eyelashes. “Don’t I treat you well, Blondie?”

“Noct,” Prompto said. The prince raised his eyebrows. “I—I like this. When it’s just the two of us, I mean. It feels like we’re back home. Before the world went crazy.”

“Tell me about it,” Noctis said. He swallowed and looked down at his menu. “Like I said back at the hotel, you’re like my island of sanity in all the madness. Or like, an oasis.”

Prompto laughed. “Yeah, I don’t remember literature being your best subject.”

“I don’t think they’ll be calling you The Bard in a hundred years, either,” Noctis teased. “But you know what I mean. You’re the only one who gets it. Not Iggy, not Gladio, not Luna—they’re all so obsessed with duty and fate. They can’t seem to understand that I never asked for power and privilege, or to be the person who has to save everyone.”

“Noct—”

“They think I’m being whiny, which is crap. How is it whiny to want freedom like everyone else?” Noctis paused and took a long drink of water. “You know what that’s like, Prom. You weren’t born into any of this like the rest of us were. You got to decide.”

The server came to take their orders, and Prompto took the time to consider how he would respond.

“I don’t believe in fate,” Prompto said, fidgeting with the band of leather around his wrist. “But if I had to make the choice again, I would make the same one I did the day I was inducted. To be at your side, again and again.”

Noctis smirked. “Even though I remind you of all the embarrassing things you’ve done in the past?”

Prompto shrugged and sipped his water. “Nobody’s perfect. Not me. Most definitely not you.”

“Thanks for that. Hey, I think a lot of people are checking out your beret.”

“Hopefully with approval,” Prompto said.

“How else? I bet they really like the color.”

Prompto moaned. “I see where this is going.”

“Yeah, who was it who picked it out? He must have really good taste.”

“Can that statement actually be applied to someone who kisses his own ass as much as you do?”

“Depends,” said Noctis, winking. “Mine’s pretty nice, so who could blame me?”

“Stuck for life,” Prompto repeated, and shook his head. “We all have to make sacrifices.”

 

* * *

 

“Iggy and Gladio must be back at the hotel by now,” Prompto was saying. After a relaxed dinner of mushroom skewers, green curry and banana ice cream, he and Noctis had decided to take a stroll along the path that circled the outer limits of the city. “Think they’ll be cool with us staying here another day?”

Noctis vaulted over the side of the staircase and landed at the bottom tier of the city’s overlook. It was half past nine; most of the tourists had cleared out and they had the park to themselves. “Unless they feel like driving the Regalia off without me, they better be.”

“That’s right, you put your foot down, Your Majesty.” Prompto walked up to one of the binoculars. “I wonder if we can see anything through these when it’s this dark.”

“The stars,” Noctis said, walking up next to him. “The moon. Some of the other planets. It’s not as bright here at night as it is in Insomnia.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said, bending over to peer into the lenses. Noctis’s eyes gazed lazily down his body, traveling from the golden hair bunched at the nape of his neck to his lean biceps, flexing against the sides of the binoculars; from the bumps of his shoulder blades to the rounding of his buttocks in the tight leather pants he wore.

“See anything good?” Noctis asked Prompto, his eyes still devouring him.

“I can see the hunter,” Prompto said slowly. “The stag. The draconian. The doves.”

Noctis chuckled. “All that, huh?”

“You’re right, I never saw many constellations in Insomnia.” Prompto stood and stepped back from the edge. “Despite all those late nights we spent around town, avoiding homework.”

“And avoiding Ignis,” Noctis pointed out.

“Avoiding me having to go home and be by myself,” Prompto said, starting to walk along the overlook wall.

“Remember that time I stayed over without asking him first?” Noctis said, grinning.

“You mean the time Ignis boxed your ears the next day and I didn’t see you outside of school for a week.”

“Yeah, he didn’t like hearing about that through a text. He even told dad that time, actually.”

“Noct, there’s so much in the world to see,” Prompto said, reaching the furthest point of the platform. A lonely breeze whistled in the rift below and reverberated against the canyon walls. “So much I never would’ve known existed if all this never happened.”

“We better enjoy it now,” Noctis said. “Once we take back the city, I’m going to have to stay there and power the Wall. Like my dad did.”

“Noct—”

“And you’ll get a firsthand view of how fun that is,” Noctis said bitterly. He sat at the nearby bench and addressed Prompto’s moonlit silhouette. “Always being tired. My body breaking down. You’ll outlive me by a long way.”

Prompto was silent. He stood with his back to Noctis, his face to the stars, his arms held together behind him, waiting.

“I don’t want to burden you so much,” Noctis continued, after a while. He wrung his hands together in his lap with barely contained rage. “It’s just that I feel everything hurtling out of control. We don’t know anything about what we’re doing, yet we stumble forward, getting yanked around by the Empire, my ancestors and the gods every step of the way. And I’ll be the one who’ll have to account for all of it in the end.”

“You need more time,” Prompto said, with a resolve that caused the prince to look up. He turned around and walked to the bench, then sat next to Noctis. “And—and I do. We do. To figure everything out.”

Prompto reached over and placed his hand on Noctis’s wrist. Noctis looked at him in amazement, the tension between his fingers dissipating. He pulled his right hand away and laid it over his navel, letting Prompto slip seamlessly into his left.

“Time,” Noctis echoed, looking down at Prompto’s hand holding his.

Prompto squeezed Noctis’s hand and leaned against his shoulder. “Just a little. The world will keep spinning. I think.”

Noctis tilted his head and returned the squeeze to Prompto’s hand. “You always know what to say, I swear.”

“Oh yeah? Then I say, let’s go to the chocobo racetrack this weekend.”

“Then again, there is that saying about broken clocks.”

Prompto sighed. “We should start walking back. I’m sure the frantic text messages are coming any minute now.”

Noctis stood and helped Prompto up with him. He let his fingers go limp, anticipating that Prompto would pull away, but instead he slid his hand more securely around Noctis’s.

“Prompto,” Noctis murmured, trying to look into his eyes in the clouded moonlight. It was hard to focus on anything over the galloping of his heart.

“Let’s go,” Prompto said. He began walking toward the stairs back to the city, pulling Noctis with him headfirst.

Noctis smiled as they ascended the stairway, his joy climbing with each step they took. He waved back to the people who greeted them with his free hand and stuck his tongue out at a man who stopped in the middle of the crosswalk to stare. _We need time. Time to figure everything out_ , Noctis thought. He looked at Prompto under the rich yellow of the streetlights and held his hand tighter, feeling like everything had fallen into place.


	18. Seduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're coming up to the end of term at uni, so I might be updating somewhat less frequently for a bit. Up to now I've usually added something every day or every other day, so it will be hard to keep up that pace, especially with longer chapters. But I'm definitely still working on it.
> 
> Thanks for reading. :)
> 
> Minor spoilers up to Chapter 9 of FFXV.

Even in the thick gloom, Noctis could make out the Crystal of Insomnia in the distance. This view of the throne room was one he’d rarely seen; only on state occasions did he enter through the front of the Citadel to be presented to the king. In that chamber, they were crown prince and monarch, not son and father, and Noctis had dreaded the interminable ceremonies here throughout his adolescence and young adulthood.

“Dad?” he called down the corridor. The candles along the wall cast him in long, grotesque shadows as he neared the great doors.

“In here, son,” his father said. His voice was plaintive and clear. Somehow, even though he sat under the Crystal, Noctis could hear him as if he were by his side.

“Dad!” Noctis jogged the rest of the way to the throne room. “You’re here! I’ve been looking for you.”

Regis chuckled. “Where else would I be, Noctis?”

“I’ve been looking everywhere,” Noctis pouted. He looked from wall to wall, then back at the king’s shrouded face. “Where’s everyone else?”

“They’re coming later. Why don’t you come sit with me?”

Noctis gulped. “On—on the throne?

“You’ll be here one day. Let’s call it practice.”

Noctis shrugged and walked up the ornate carpet until he reached the foot of the stairs. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in so long, dad,” he said, beginning to climb the staircase. “Haven’t you been worried about me?”

“Of course, Noctis,” Regis said, suddenly sounding exhausted. “You’re my most precious jewel.”

“I’m almost there, dad,” Noctis said. His legs felt lazy and sluggish as he reached the top of the stairs. Alongside his father were several figures he hadn’t noticed before.

“Hey,” Noctis said, realizing who they were. “It’s my friends. Even Prompto is here.” Noctis walked up to Prompto, smiling, but the latter stared straight ahead, his expression neutral.

“They’re doing their job,” Regis said. “Don’t worry them.”

“But it’s just us here,” Noctis said, confused.

“Please don’t talk back, Noctis,” Regis sighed. “I don’t have a great deal of patience today. Come here and sit on my lap.”

“I’m sorry, father,” Noctis said. He neared Regis and carefully sat on his leg, then turned to him. “I’m just happy you’re back. There’s so much I want to tell you.”

Regis patted Noctis’s forearm. His hand was cold and dry. “You’re mistaken, my boy. I haven’t gone anywhere.”

Noctis wrinkled his brow. “But—but they told me. They said you’d gone.”

“What did I say about talking back?” Regis shouted. Noctis cowered as the king slammed his fist into the side of the throne. “Why do you always have to be naughty?”

“Please, father,” Noctis said. Tears dropped from his eyes, falling on Regis’s cloak. “I’m sorry.”

“You know we kings of Lucis can’t go anywhere, Noctis,” Regis continued. At once, the hand resting on his arm grasped him tightly, nails digging into his flesh.

“Dad!” Noctis screamed in pain. “It hurts!”

“Did you really think life was about comfort?” Regis said in the darkness. “About doing whatever you feel like?”

“Dad, stop!” Noctis tried to stand, but his legs felt welded to the throne’s pedestal. He struggled against the vise grip of the king’s hand. “Why are you doing this?”

“You need to be taught a lesson,” Regis said, with a tinge of sadness. “It’s my fault. I was too soft with you. Now look what’s happened.”

Tears streamed down Noctis’s face as he looked around the room.

“Prompto!” Noctis yelled. His friend’s shadow was unmoving. “Help!”

“He agrees with me,” Regis said. “He said that the two of you were being foolish. Now he knows that he’s bound not to a person, but to the Crown. Just like you are.”

“Prompto,” Noctis sobbed. A tide of despair was sweeping him away.

“Noct,” a voice was saying. “It’s me.”

Noctis opened his eyes and breathed in sharply. Ignis was above him, shaking him by the shoulder.

“Oh Noct,” Ignis said. He reached for the box of tissues as Noctis sat up and held his head in his hands, shaking with tears. “You’re safe with us. It was just a dream.”

“Prompto,” Noctis said. He turned to his right to see the blond sleeping on his belly, his head turned away.

“He’s safe too,” Ignis said. He hugged Noctis tight. “Everyone is. We’re in Lestallum. It looks like it will be a beautiful morning.”

Noctis forced out a choked laugh. “One way to get me up early, huh?”

“I’ll fetch you a glass of water,” Ignis said. He rose and walked to the bathroom.

Noctis looked at Prompto again. The taupe light of early dawn suggested more than revealed his form: a quick peek of his thighs tangled up in the sheets, then the darkness of his blue briefs; the pale expanse of his back ending at his spray of flaxen hair against the pillow, his face obscured. Noctis shivered, still clammy from the nightmare, as a draft swept through the room, and wrapped his arms around his bare chest. They slept in their underwear in Lestallum, where the sultry, humid nights recommended it. Sometimes they would even go without the sheet, but the previous evening had been cooler than average.

More than anything, Noctis wanted to shake Prompto awake and seek refuge in his arms. He doubted his mind would rest until he saw that Prompto was his normal self and nothing like the shade of the nightmare.

“Drink this,” Ignis said. Noctis gulped down the water gratefully, then handed the empty glass back to him.

“What time is it?” Noctis asked, his voice hoarse.

“It’s just before six. I’d gotten up for the toilet when I heard you. It sounded like you were anguished.”

“Ugh,” Noctis moaned.

“I heard something about Prompto? Was it the same dream as last time?”

“No. It was a different one. Dad was telling me that I couldn’t leave the Citadel anymore. That Prompto and I had to stop being friends.”

“Well, that’s not like him.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “It was a nightmare, Ignis. Of course I know that now.”

“Still, there might be something meaningful there.” Ignis flicked his fingers back and forth across his chin, seeming to hesitate. “Perhaps you’re anxious that your father wouldn’t approve of your relationship with Prompto?”

“What?” Noctis glared at him, suddenly aware that he was nearly nude. “What do you mean our relationship? Or that he wouldn’t approve?”

“You’re very close,” Ignis ventured. “More than most friends.”

“Where’s the problem with that?” Noctis sputtered.

“Perhaps that’s the question your subconscious is attempting to address,” Ignis replied.

“You’re not good at this,” Noctis said curtly. He felt his face reddening in the rays of sun that had started to poke through the curtains. “Go get me a bathrobe, I feel cold.”

Ignis rose. “I’m not your slave. You can say ‘please,’ at least.”

“And another glass of water. Please.” Noctis leaned back against the headboard as Ignis walked off, pulling the sheet up to his waist carefully. He looked down at Prompto’s bent elbow, his hand nearly reaching Noctis’s pillow. The muscles in his arms looked especially wide and defined when laid flat against the bed; Prompto hadn’t been lying when he’d bragged to Noctis about lifting weights. Noctis looked down at his own bicep and flexed, furrowing his brow at the pathetic bulge his arm produced. Somewhere along the line, skinny little Prompto had grown impressive guns. Noctis eyed him again, fantasizing about holding those broad arms down against the bed and kissing a trail through the valley of Prompto’s back.

“Admiring yourself?” Ignis said next to him. Noctis looked up and realized that his own arm was still raised.

“No,” Noctis said guiltily, dropping his hand and taking the glass of water. “I’m going to try to go back to sleep, actually.”

“Good idea,” Ignis said. He placed the bathrobe on Noctis’s suitcase. “We have the day off, so you should enjoy it.”

“You didn’t sound so enthused when I brought it up last night.”

Ignis shrugged. “I’ve come around. We all need a break, I think. Especially since we’ll be heading to Altissia soon.”

Noctis thought back to his conversation with Prompto the previous night. _Time_.

“Actually, I wanted to talk about that. But when it’s all four of us. Lunch maybe?”

“As long as you’re not planning to eat lunch in the late afternoon, that sounds like a plan,” Ignis said. “I’m going downstairs to look at what the hotel has for breakfast in the dining room. If you need me—if there’s another dream—I’m only a phone call away.”

Noctis nodded and slid down into the bed. Once Ignis had left the room, he turned to his side and gingerly placed his arm over Prompto’s back. Noctis smiled at his mischief, the rhythm of Prompto’s breaths under his warm skin lulling him back to sleep as the sun rose higher in the sky.

 

* * *

 

Prompto blinked, his eyes protesting against the insistent finger of sunlight across his face. The bed across from him was empty and still unmade. Prompto reached for his phone on the nightstand and read the text from Gladio: _At breakfast downstairs. See you at lunch?_

 _Aren’t days off great? We should have more of them!_ Prompto typed back. He smiled, then realized there was an arm across his back. He turned his head across the pillow to see Noctis asleep, facing him. Prompto flipped onto his side to look at him.

He watched him for a minute, then took a picture of his face and upper chest. His hair splayed wildly across his features and into the air and his mouth was open. Prompto saved it with a snicker, then clicked on his _King’s Knight_ icon and began swapping around loadouts on his characters.

“Hey,” Noctis said groggily. Prompto looked up and smiled; sunlight splashed across the entire bed now. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Maybe because I didn’t want to die?” Prompto joked. “And you looked so peaceful. I figured you needed the rest.”

Noctis grunted and his fingers twitched against Prompto’s back. “Sorry, I don’t know how my arm got there.”

“I don’t mind,” Prompto said.

 _You mean you love it_ , his internal monologue corrected.

“What are you up to?”

“Just doing some stuff in _King’s Knight_.”

“Yeah? Maybe I’ll play.” Noctis stretched and looked around for his phone.

“I also took a picture of you,” Prompto admitted. “There was a little drool on your cheek.”

“There was not,” Noctis growled, wiping the back of his hand against his face.

“Uh-huh,” Prompto smirked. “I could sell it to a paper and make enough gil to start my own chocobo ranch.”

“Not before I threw you in my dungeon for everlasting punishment.”

Prompto blinked rapidly. “Is there really a dungeon under the Citadel?”

“It’s from the old castle that used to stand there,” Noctis said. “We don’t use it anymore. Though I might make an exception for you if you don’t delete any treasonous photographs you have of me.”

“What about freedom of the press?”

“Yesterday you were an artist, today you’re a journalist.” Noctis pinched Prompto’s back. “Maybe you’re just a charlatan.”

Prompto yelped. “Tyrants never win!”

Noctis smiled at him and didn’t reply. Prompto looked up from his screen. “What?”

“Just happy you’re here,” Noctis said. He brought his hand to Prompto’s arm and squeezed.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Noctis glanced at the open window. “I had another nightmare last night. You were in it again.”

“Again? You mean I was in the last one?”

“You’re usually in them,” Noctis said. Prompto’s eyes widened. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” He sat up and threw off the sheet, sitting on the bed with his legs folded underneath him.

“No, tell me about it,” Prompto said. He placed his hand on Noctis’s knee; the prince glanced down and swallowed.

“I was back home. Talking to my dad in the throne room. I felt younger, maybe? But still the same, it was weird. He told me I couldn’t leave anymore. You—” Noctis stared down at Prompto’s look of concern. “You were there. You wouldn’t talk to me. Dad said you only existed to serve the crown.”

“Huh.” Prompto put his phone down and scratched his head. “So, maybe you’re worried about disappointing him? About not being a good enough king?”

“Why does everyone want to pretend to be a therapist today?” Noctis said acidly.

“Am I right or not?”

“Maybe. It’s probably not just that,” Noctis said, his eyes traveling down Prompto’s body. “There are more ways I disappoint him. Being a crap king would only be one of them.”

“Like?”

Noctis groaned and pushed himself off the bed. “Let’s go get something to eat. I’m hungry.”

Prompto grabbed his arm, grinning. “Not so fast. The press still has questions, Your Highness.”

Noctis flinched and looked down.

“What?” Prompto sat up and let go of his wrist. “What is it?”

“No, it’s just—that happened in the nightmare. It reminded me of it.”

“Sorry.” Prompto’s eyes wandered to the thick hair of Noctis’s armpits as the prince stretched above his head. “Why didn’t you just wake me up? You know I don’t mind.”

“Because I don’t want to bother you all the time. And because I’m afraid you’ll shoot me in combat if you’re sleep-deprived.”

Prompto pursed his lips. “Bother me? I’m stuck for life, remember?”

Noctis put his hands on his hips and smiled. “Gods, I wish—”

“What?”

“Nah.”

“What is it? Maybe I can make it happen.”

Noctis stared into Prompto’s eyes for several seconds, then flicked his eyes to his arms. “A hug?”

Prompto rolled his eyes and stood up. “As if you have to ask.”

They embraced next to the open balcony door. Prompto’s arms wrapped tight around Noctis’s shoulders and pulled him slightly forward so that some of his weight leaned against the blond’s chest.

Noctis let out a long, contented sigh.

“That good, huh?” Prompto chuckled.

“No, your brawny arms just pushed all the air out of my lungs,” Noctis said. He leaned back and wrapped his hand around Prompto’s upper arm. “Look at that, I can only reach halfway!”

“Hmm,” Prompto said, imitating the bass of Gladio’s voice. “You like that?”

Noctis laughed and pushed him back firmly. “Yeah, I think the group’s only got room for one musclehead.” He turned around abruptly and walked into the bathroom.

“Nice going, Prompto,” he said to himself, looking at the closed door. Prompto placed his palm against his forehead. “Could you be any more obvious?”

In the bathroom, Noctis leaned against the wall and stared down at the erection tenting his black boxers. A few seconds longer and his situation would have been humiliatingly obvious. What had possessed him to get close to Prompto when they were both only wearing underwear?

_You’re a deviant, that’s why. Someone who enjoys perving over his unsuspecting friend._

Noctis dragged his hands down his face and examined himself in the mirror. “Can’t argue against that,” he muttered.

 

* * *

 

“Finally,” Ignis said. Gladio looked up to see Noctis and Prompto walking up to their table. “What happened to ‘be there in fifteen minutes?’”

“Sorry, sorry,” Prompto said, ducking to avoid the braids of dried chilis hanging throughout the restaurant. “I really thought we would be here sooner.”

“You’re lucky I didn’t go searching for you two again,” Gladio said gruffly.

“Blame Noct,” Prompto said, with a flick of his head. “I don’t know what the hell he was doing in the bathroom. He took forever!”

Gladio and Ignis glanced at each other in obvious discomfort.

“Dude, seriously?” Noctis said, elbowing Prompto as they sat down. “I was trying to get my hair right.”

“But—” Prompto coughed. “That’s what I meant. Wait, what did you think I was saying?”

“How about we just move on instead,” Ignis interrupted. “Look at your menus so we can order soon. I think I didn’t eat enough at breakfast to be this famished at noon.”

“I told you that then,” Gladio said. “Just because the hotel’s chefs aren’t as good as you doesn’t mean you have to eat like a bird there.”

“No need to slag them off. I simply didn’t have much of an appetite earlier,” Ignis replied. “I never really do early in the morning, but when we’re out on the road I force myself to eat since I know we likely won’t be stopping until dinner.”

Gladio stroked his chin. “I heard that coffee suppresses your appetite. Maybe if you stopped guzzling so much Ebony, you’d want breakfast more.”

“I’ll take it under advisement,” Ignis said dryly.

“Not so fun when the shoe’s on the other foot, is it?” Noctis said, sticking out his tongue.

“Poor you.” Ignis gave him a withering glance. “That reminds me, wasn’t there something you wanted to talk to all of us about?”

The arrival of the server interrupted them. After their orders had been taken, Noctis placed his hands together on the table and leaned back.

“Yeah. So, I’ve come to a decision.”

“This should be good,” Gladio said.

“Will the rest of us be permitted to provide input on this unilateral decision?”

“Relax, okay? I already talked to Prompto about it—well, sort of. Something he said yesterday gave me the idea.” Prompto looked at him curiously.

“Stop beating around the bush then,” Gladio said. “Spit it out.”

“I want to delay going to Altissia,” Noctis said. The others exchanged glances. “Not for very long. I just want a week or so. To get my head in a better place.”

“Noct—” Ignis began.

“I need time.” Noctis looked over at Prompto, who smiled encouragingly. “Everything that’s happened since we left home has moved at such breakneck speed. Like, I was just a dumb kid going on a road trip with my buddies six weeks ago. Can you blame me for wanting to dial down the pace we’re going at a bit?”

“Huh,” Gladio exhaled, sitting back.

“I’m not immediately opposed,” Ignis said, pondering. “You’re right that we have been pushing ourselves quite hard. The major concern, however, is that we can’t confirm the present safety of the Oracle, since Accordo is nominally controlled by the Empire. This may be reason enough to make haste.”

“Whether Noct goes there now or in a few days, we don’t have any guarantee Luna will be kept safe, though,” Prompto said. “Maybe we can find more information and get stronger over here before we sail up to the Empire’s doorstep.”

Noctis held out his hand to Prompto under the table. Prompto slipped his hand over Noctis’s and winked at him.

“What do you think, Gladio?” Ignis was saying.

“It’s not up to me.” Gladio peered at Noctis’s tensed posture. “But you can see he’s thought it through; that he knows this is what he wants. I like that he’s making a stand on something. I was wondering when it would finally happen.”

“Making a stand to procrastinate, I’ll point out.”

“Well, not entirely,” Gladio responded. “Remember the royal arms? When I was on my own these last few days, I passed one tomb in person and heard some people talking about another one in a diner I stopped at. It would take a couple days to track those down.”

“And they might come in handy if we have to confront the Empire in Altissia,” Prompto said.

“Fine,” Ignis said. “I just needed to make sure that this is what you truly want, Noct.”

“It is, Ignis,” Noctis said, glancing down at Prompto’s hand.

“Oh, here comes the food,” Ignis said. “I’ll just nip to the loo.”

“We’ll keep Gladio off your food,” Prompto quipped.

Ignis stood and paused, staring down at Noctis and Prompto’s joined hands between their chairs. “Well, you two look cozy.”

Noctis dropped Prompto’s hand and blushed. “Don’t know what you mean.”

“Is that so?” Ignis said. “Anyway, I won’t be a sec.”

“What was he talking about?” Gladio asked, spooning some rice onto his plate.

“No idea,” Prompto said, stifling a giggle as his eyes met Noctis’s.

 

* * *

 

Prompto opened the door slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. He placed a preliminary foot inside the doorway, then stumbled forward as Noctis pushed him.

“Noct!” Prompto snapped.

Noctis chuckled. “Come on, I want to get in bed and beat your ass in _King’s Knight_.”

“Wait, they’re not here,” Prompto said, glimpsing the undisturbed bed that Ignis and Gladio shared. “I wonder where they went.”

“Oh,” Noctis said, thumbing at his phone. “Iggy says they went to relax at the hot tub downstairs.”

Prompto wrinkled his nose. “Why even _is_ there a hot tub in Lestallum?”

“For seduction, maybe,” Noctis said blandly.

“What?”

“Well, isn’t that what happens in movies when a hot tub appears? It’s usually not there to treat hypothermia patients.”

Prompto raised his eyebrows. “I doubt that’s what’s happening with Ignis and Gladio right now. Also, I don’t think I want to hear about the kinds of movies you watch anymore.”

“Ouch,” Noctis said, stepping out of his pants. “Yeah, I can see how seduction might not be your sort of thing.”

“What are you baiting me into now?” Prompto said, picking up his toothbrush.

“I don’t know. I’ve just never seen you make the first move on a girl. Well, other than that one time—”

“Don’t,” Prompto said pointedly.

“Right, right,” Noctis said, raising his hands.

Prompto finished brushing his teeth and stepped aside so that Noctis could use the vanity. He watched the prince through the mirror as he washed his face.

“You know, thinking back to it, you were always a pretty bad wingman,” Prompto said.

Noctis looked up, his face covered in bubbles. “You chose a crown prince for your wingman and somehow pictured that working out well?”

“Fair point,” Prompto said. “But did you have to tell embarrassing stories about me every time?”

“I guess I was just jealous,” Noctis said into the sink.

The water lapped around the drain for several seconds.

“You could have had any girl you wanted,” Prompto said quietly. “Oh, you’re joking again. Cute.”

“Who cares about ancient history anyway?” Noctis said, shoving his toothbrush into his mouth. With that, he turned away and began brushing.

Prompto shrugged and walked back into the bedroom. He grabbed his camera from the table and walked out onto the balcony, wearing only his underwear. In the dark and two floors up, he wasn’t overly concerned about preserving his modesty.

The occasional night breezes were refreshing, and Prompto began to browse the day’s photographs at a relaxed pace. There were a couple shots from the same spot he stood now from that morning, recording the movement of a parade through the plaza below. Then some pictures at lunch, including one of his and Noctis’s hands underneath the table. A few photographs of crafts and baskets of produce in the marketplace, then a few more of them in action at the arcade, where he had beaten Noctis easily at several shooters before letting him win.

Noctis was laughing behind him. “What are you doing out there, you nudist?”

“No one can see anything they wouldn’t at a beach,” Prompto replied. He turned around; Noctis was peeking around one of the louvred doors. “You should try it, it’s nice and cool out here.”

“What if someone sees?”

“Noct, we’re in Lestallum. People see others in skimpy clothing all the time.”

Noctis tiptoed around the balcony door and up to Prompto, then stood behind him, looking over his shoulder.

“I can start over if you like,” Prompto said, nodding to the camera.

“Nah, we can go back once we get to the end. Is that one of the high scores from the arcade?”

“Yup, I took a picture of all of them.”

“Ah, but I won some eventually.”

“Yeah Noct, you beat me fair and square,” Prompto agreed, skipping forward. “The rest is just pics from dinner. Then a few random things that caught my eye on the walk back.”

“How are you doing for space? Should we delete some?” Noctis took the camera from Prompto’s outstretched hand, going back through the reel.

“It’s fine,” Prompto said. He scanned Noctis’s features as the prince examined the rest of the day’s photographs. He was beautiful when he concentrated, Prompto noted. Then, or when he was unaware of the camera, were when Prompto captured the most intriguing shots of him.

Noctis chuckled, and Prompto leaned over to see a picture of him reacting in frustration to the arcade’s claw machine. Noctis had been trying to retrieve the chocobo chick doll for Prompto for about ten minutes by that point.

“You used most of our tokens there,” Prompto commented. “You know they’re designed to make you lose, right?”

“The world is designed for me to lose,” Noctis said, handing the camera back to him. “Doesn’t mean I need to accept it.”

Prompto watched Noctis walk back into the room and head for their bed, then followed behind him, leaving the balcony doors open.

“I’m happy we’re staying longer,” Prompto said, pulling back the sheet on his side of the bed. He placed his camera on the nightstand. “I have a good feeling about it.”

“Good enough for me,” Noctis said.

“I’m serious! I’m glad you stood up for yourself. You’re not as moody and brooding now that you don’t feel like you’re being forced into something.”

“Moody and brooding. Sounds sexy.”

“Noct, I’ve never doubted that you find yourself sexy,” Prompto said, rolling his eyes.

“They say confidence is sexy,” Noctis said, propping himself up with his elbow and tapping at his phone.

“They say a lot of things. Like, ‘less is more,’ for instance.” Prompto fell onto the bed and turned toward him. Noctis stuck out his tongue.

“So, tonight,” Prompto said. “You going to be okay with the nightmares?”

Noctis shrugged. “Who knows? I don’t control when they come.”

“It’s just—I feel sort of responsible, you know? Since I’m in them.”

“Well don’t,” Noctis said. “It’s not your fault.”

Prompto’s face was getting hot. “I wish there were something I could do.”

Noctis glanced up at him with a bemused expression.

“Oh! I just remembered. You know how the last time you were having nightmares, I slept with you? Well, not slept with you—like that—but like, together? I mean together as in next to each other, of course.”

Noctis’s face started to turn red. “You just remembered?”

“Yeah! Well, it helped, right?”

“Yes,” Noctis said cautiously. “Is something wrong? You’re acting kind of weird.”

“No, it’s all normal.” Prompto looked up at the ceiling. “Let’s do that again tonight, then.”

Noctis laughed. “Okay, okay. If you want to help so bad.”

They started to queue up for another game of _King’s Knight_. Prompto was having a hard time focusing; he was falling for tactics that he would normally anticipate, and Noctis’s score was almost twice his.

“Someone’s distracted tonight,” Noctis said.

“I might just be tired,” Prompto said, faking a yawn. He turned off his phone and placed it on the nightstand. “Feel like hitting the hay?”

“Eh, alright,” Noctis said, putting his phone to the side. “Might be good after getting woken up so early.”

Prompto wriggled across the bed to where Noctis was. He noticed Noctis’s cheeks were rosy, along with a faint red spreading across his collarbone.

“I’ll turn the other way,” Noctis said. He flipped over and limply waited for Prompto.

“Right.” Prompto moved his upper body closer, then pushed his arms around the prince in a single, abrupt motion. Beads of sweat gathered at his hairline and his stomach pulsed and churned. He felt too nervous to recognize any other feeling.

They lay there stiffly against each other for a few minutes. Finally, in the darkness, Prompto cleared his throat. “Do you like this?”

“Course,” Noctis said, not sounding entirely convinced.

Prompto swallowed and moved one of his hands down Noctis’s chest, stopping to stroke his nipple. “Um, what about this?”

Noctis tensed, then threw his arms against Prompto’s.

“What?” Prompto asked, sitting up. He turned on the lamp next to the bed. “What’s wrong?”

“Who have you been talking to?” Noctis asked, his eyes glinting. “Ignis?”

“What?”

“Don’t lie to me, Prompto.”

“Oh, um, yeah I guess?” Prompto thought back to their conversation about heroes at Cape Caem.

“I knew it,” Noctis seethed. “I knew you were acting weird today. He won’t stop insinuating things all the time, it’s driving me crazy. Can’t he just mind his own business?”

“Noct, calm down a little,” Prompto said. “What does Ignis have to do with anything?”

“Well, didn’t he put you up to this? Is this some kind of prank or—or you taking pity on me?”

Prompto buried his face in his hands. “This is so confusing. I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.” He looked up. “It was Aranea who said that you might—well, that we might—”

“Aranea?” Noctis’s mouth gaped. “How many people have been talking about me? Are you all gossiping about me behind my back?”

“No one’s gossiping. I seriously don’t know what’s going on right now.” Prompto shook his head. “Can we just go to sleep and figure this out in the morning?”

“That’s all you have to say for yourself?”

“Noct, I thought I was doing the right thing. She said it was what you wanted, so I—I don’t know.”

“So this _is_ pity.” Noctis crossed his arms. “Well, I don’t need it. And if you gossip about me with other people again, we’re going to have problems.”

“It wasn’t—” Prompto sighed. “You won’t listen to anything. I’m sorry I got it wrong, but can you really blame me? You know I’m no good at this, and well, we are really affectionate. I got confused.”

Noctis started. “But you’re straight.”

“Yeah, and so are you. So let’s just forget this,” Prompto replied. “I’m going to bed. If you need me, wake me up. I mean it.” He turned off the lamp next to him and turned to face the wall.

In the shadows, Noctis stared at him in shock. _What in the name of the Void was that?_

He crept back into bed and stared at the ceiling. The embrace had been entirely stiff and unerotic, Prompto’s movements clumsy and forced. Noctis had felt the whiplash of old, ingrained fears of being outed, of Prompto mocking him if he reciprocated. But why would Prompto do that? He shook his head, realizing how silly it sounded.

Noctis glanced over at his body, not sure if he was still awake. The alternative didn’t make much sense either. Why, after years of showing no interest, would he suddenly notice Noctis’s attraction to him?

_Maybe he just wants relief. You don’t mean anything to him._

Noctis blinked in the darkness. Did that make any more sense? Despite Noctis torpedoing all of Prompto’s potential dates with girls back in the Crown City, he’d never expressed any sexual frustration during or after high school. So why would he now?

His thoughts were interrupted by the low chatter of voices in the hallway. As Gladio’s key turned in the lock, Noctis curled onto his side, pretending to be fast asleep.


	19. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was quite an important one to me. Enjoy!

“What’s eating you two?” Gladio asked. He was standing next to their bed, running a brush through his hair.

“Nothing,” Noctis said tersely.

“Huh. It’s just so strange to have quiet in the room, rather than constant whispering and giggling.”

“Comb your mullet and leave me alone,” Noctis replied.

Gladio laughed and clapped him on the back. Noctis flung his arm away and glared.

“Little twerp. Maybe try going back to sleep on Prompto’s side of the bed.”

Noctis threw the sheet off and stood up in front of Gladio, his fists clenched. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Uh, that you woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Which I think you’ve clearly proven.” Gladio pushed him back onto the mattress with his palm. “Don’t square up to me without even knowing what’s going on, kid.”

Prompto piped up in an attempt to break the tension. “Hey Noct, what should we do today?”

“I want to be on my own today,” Noctis said flatly.

“Oh—okay,” Prompto said, looking down at his phone.

“Now I know something’s not right,” Gladio commented. “You haven’t spent a day without this one in years unless you were forced to.”

“This is why I want to be left on my own! You and Ignis talking from the peanut gallery about everything I say or do! Just fuck off!” Noctis was breathing rapidly.

Gladio threw a worried look to Prompto. “Okay Noct, you can play at being fifteen again all you want right now. But your head better be on straight once we’re in combat again.” Gladio walked to his suitcase and bent over to look through it. “Or anything else that requires you to be an adult.”

Noctis grunted and hunched over his phone. “Don’t come looking for me today either. And don’t worry, I’ll stay away from Imperial agents.”

“Not exactly filling me with confidence,” Gladio muttered. The bathroom door opened and Ignis walked out, toweling his hair. “Come on Iggy, I want to get some food already.”

“Go on ahead if you like,” Ignis said. He lifted his watch from the nightstand and fastened it around his wrist. “Are you two coming with us?”

“I might come down later,” Prompto said. “Still have to take a shower. It was really sticky last night.”

“Indeed. I’ll be happy to leave for cooler climes.” Ignis brought his hand to his chin. “Gladio, we’ll have to look at the map and locate those tombs you mentioned. That way, we can plan our departure.”

“A table next to the breakfast buffet would be the perfect place for that,” Gladio hinted.

“Yes, yes,” Ignis said. “See you two in a bit. Keep an eye on your phones; I don’t want to have to look for you when we leave.”

Ignis and Gladio walked out, their voices trading in low hums along the staircase until the room was silent again.

“Noct,” Prompto said.

“It’s okay, Prom,” Noctis said. “I understand why you did it.”

“You—you do?” Prompto turned toward him, his face breaking into a smile. “You know how I’ve been feeling?”

“I know you’ve been feeling confused,” Noctis said.

“I really have,” Prompto said. He let out a deep breath. “Still am.” He reached his hand out across the bed, but Noctis looked at it, unmoving.

“It’s all Ignis’s fault. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s been putting ideas in your head, making you treat me differently. I don’t know what exactly he’s told you, but he’s not as smart as he thinks.”

Prompto shook his head. “No, don’t blame him.”

“And Aranea too. She doesn’t even know us, what gives her the right to come barging in with her opinions?”

“She just wants us to be happy,” Prompto said. “She was really nice about it. Well, for her, at least.”

“She tried to kill us,” Noctis said tartly.

“I don’t think she was really trying to,” Prompto murmured.

“You should trust me,” Noctis said, flicking his eyes with jealousy. “Not her.”

“Noct, it’s not about that,” Prompto said. “I’m not even sure where you’re going with this.”

“I know you thought what you did last night would make me happy,” Noctis said, standing up. “That it was what I wanted. They told you that, didn’t they?”

“Noct—”

“I could feel that you weren’t into it,” Noctis continued, swallowing. “I wasn’t going to let you do something you found repulsive just because you thought I wanted it.”

Prompto looked up. “So, it would’ve made you happy? If I’d wanted it?”

“It doesn’t matter. Why even ask that question?” Noctis walked past the foot of the bed and looked up at the arbor of flowers on the balcony, the sunlight fuzzing the edges of his pale body. “You’re straight; you talk about girls all the time. What makes me happy is irrelevant.”

“I wish you would let me speak for myself,” Prompto said, swinging his legs off the bed and planting his feet on the ground. “Instead of putting all these words in my mouth.”

“Your body did plenty of talking last night,” Noctis said. “Touching me like that freaked you out. I don’t need to hear you tell me that.” He cast a mirthless smile into the sun. “My pride’s more sensitive than it looks, you know.”

“Fine,” Prompto snapped. “You know everything, don’t you? Why even bother having this talk? You want me to trust you, but you won’t even trust me with my own half of the conversation!”

“Prom—”

“I mean, your word is law after all. I should just be glad Your Majesty keeps around his slow friend who doesn’t know anything as a pet to play with, right?”

“What’s gotten into you?” Noctis shouted.

“I need a shower,” Prompto said. He strode to the bathroom and slammed the door shut, only realizing once he’d locked it that he’d left his clothes and toiletries in his suitcase. He sighed and pulled on the shower tap, adjusting the temperature. He couldn’t face Noctis after that outburst; he’d just have to use the hotel’s products and walk out in his towel.

It wasn’t until he moved to pull down his underwear that he noticed his fists were still clenched, his fingertips leaving white and purple splotches along his palms. He stepped under the showerhead and let the steaming water wash his tears down the drain.

 

* * *

 

Prompto walked down the staircase, his hair still damp and clinging to his head. He felt a vibration in his pocket and fished out his phone.

_Need some time to think. Don’t look for me._

“So much for being less moody and brooding,” Prompto said, returning his phone to his pocket.

At the bottom of the stairs, he turned on his heels and walked through the doors to the dining room. Ignis waved to him from one of the tables. Prompto raised his chin in return, then grabbed a plate and started walking along the buffet.

Gladio was standing in front of a pan filled with meat. “Hey Prompto,” he said. “Forgot something?”

“Uh, no?” Prompto picked up a bagel and gave him a confused look.

“Your hair? You look like a wet dog.”

“I didn’t feel like styling it,” Prompto said, looking down at the bagel as he spread it with peanut butter.

Gladio let the tongs he was holding drop back to the pan with a piercing clatter. “Now I definitely know something’s up. Are you and Noct fighting?”

Prompto sighed and pushed the peanut butter back and forth with his knife.

“When we both sit down, you’re telling me,” Gladio said, picking up his plate. “You look depressed. It’s freaky.”

Prompto finished fixing his plate, then walked slowly to their table by the window.

“Is something the matter?” Ignis asked, as Prompto pulled out a chair. “Only, you seem to have forgotten your hair when you left the shower.”

“I’m going for a natural look today,” Prompto deadpanned.

“He’s doing it again, Iggy.”

“Positively uncanny.”

“What?” Prompto stared at them as he separated a bite of scrambled eggs. “What’s so funny?”

“You probably don’t even notice it, do you?” Ignis said, winking. “You act more like Noct every day.”

“Well, he’s had an influence on Noct too,” Gladio added.

“Can we talk about something else? Someone else? He was just yelling at me for—” Prompto raised his fingers to make air quotes. “For ‘gossiping’ about him with other people.”

Ignis furrowed his brow. “He raised his voice with you?”

“Well, I guess I meant he was yelling in a figurative sense. Mostly. As in, he was annoyed with me.”

“We all talk about each other all the time,” Gladio said, scratching his temple.

“Gossip implies that it’s done for entertainment,” Ignis said. “Or out of malice. An odd choice of words.”

Prompto shrugged. “Don’t look at me to explain him.”

“Come to think of it, I saw him in the lobby a little while ago when I went to extend our reservation. He glared at me when I waved at him, then walked out onto the street.”

“What?” Gladio said. “Where’d he go?”

Ignis shrugged. “I didn’t get a chance to ask him. I’ve texted, but he hasn’t responded yet.”

“He said he was going somewhere to think,” Prompto said. “Can we just leave him alone for a while? I mean, how likely is he to get attacked anyway? The empire seems just as interested in helping us as killing us.”

“It’s mostly just that one weirdo,” Gladio said. “Why am I not surprised that you guys ran into him again?”

“Aranea, too,” Prompto said, taking a sip of orange juice. “I think she’s on our side.”

“That’s your naivety talking, kid,” Gladio said. “She’s a hardened merc. Don’t let your dick fool you into thinking she won’t stab you in the back the instant it benefits her.”

“It’s not like that!” Prompto said, indignant.

“Don’t think much of mercenaries, Gladio?” Ignis asked.

“They sell themselves for gil.” Gladio shrugged. “What else is there to say?”

“You just need to get to know her,” Prompto said.

“I think you want to get to know her enough for all of us,” Gladio teased.

Prompto rolled his eyes. “Whatever. My point was that you guys shouldn’t go looking for Noct yet. He texted me and said he wanted to be alone for a while.”

“We’ll give him until the afternoon,” Ignis said. “As long as he responds to my texts. By the evening, we’ll have to account for him. You know, I’d honestly been hoping to set out today.”

“We still could, I guess,” Gladio said. “The tomb I saw is only about three hours away or so. We could set out in the late afternoon, make camp nearby and take a look at it in the morning.”

“Let’s do that, then. I’ll have to go to the market to make sure we have all the supplies we’ll need.” Ignis turned to Prompto. “I leave Noct in your care. Make sure he’s safe. From a distance, if you have to.”

“Relax, Iggy,” Prompto said. “You’re right though, I don’t think he wants to see me.”

“Bullshit,” Gladio interjected.

Prompto looked up. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t know what you two are fighting about right now, but I’d bet you all your rares in _King’s Knight_ that he wishes things were back to normal. Do you know how much he would talk about you during training when he was still in high school? He found a way to shoehorn ‘Prompto’ into every conversation. I was expecting a lot more when I met you, to be honest.”

“Thanks,” Prompto said sarcastically.

“He’s right,” Ignis agreed. “I remember that too. Even before you were friends, when I’d pick him up from school, he’d drag his heels at the gate and look back at the courtyard for a while as I stood at the car. Every day! It drove me mad.” He smiled at Prompto. “It wasn’t until I saw him watching you one afternoon that I realized he was wishing and hoping that you’d talk to him.”

Prompto blushed and dropped his fork. “But—he was the prince! How could I just walk up to him?”

“From what I’ve gathered, isn’t that precisely what happened?”

“Uh, yeah, after he made me sweat for like four years.” Prompto grinned. “Then he needled me for not talking to him sooner. Typical.”

“Well from that day on, every time I’d ask him about school, he’d talk about you. What you’d said to him that day; what the two of you had done together. It was an astonishing change; Noct had never seemed to care much about other people before. Other than the occasional note to Luna, I was afraid he would become some sort of hermit before even reaching adulthood.”

“Well, he still had us and Iris,” Gladio said.

“You know what I mean,” Ignis replied. He paused to drain his cup of coffee, then turned to Prompto. “Noct waited for so long to be your friend, Prompto. Then, when it happened, having you by his side made him happier than I’d ever seen him. The change was as night to day.”

Gladio groaned. “Your puns, Iggy.”

“I didn’t intend it,” Ignis said. He frowned at Gladio and fixed his eyes on Prompto again. “That’s never changed, Prompto. Noct adores you.”

“Whoa,” Gladio said. “Let’s not get carried away.”

“Now’s not the time to mince words,” Ignis said, with a tinge of annoyance. “Everything I say is true. I know Noct wants to see you, Prompto, so the job I’ve given you should be quite easy. Otherwise, you can hold the shopping and help me carry everything to the car.”

Prompto shook his head, still blushing.

“Guess I’m the chosen victim, then?” Gladio said.

Ignis stood and placed his napkin on the table. “Yes, why don’t you go look at the weapon emporium for what you mentioned earlier, and once you get back to the hotel I should have figured out everything we need.”

Gladio patted Prompto on the shoulder and walked off.

“Prompto, are you familiar with the famous poem—”

“I’ll stop you right there,” Prompto quipped.

“That observes, ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty’? It’s a statement I’ve always found puzzling.”

“Not just you,” Prompto said, making a face.

“Indeed,” Ignis replied. “Apparently the meaning and literary quality of those final lines are still hotly disputed by poets and scholars. That being said, it couldn’t be too impertinent for me to offer a revision of them for your consideration.”

“I’m not promising to consider anything,” Prompto said warily. “I think you got me in trouble with Noct with your last talk.”

“All the more reason for me to attempt to help now,” Ignis said, sitting in the chair next to Prompto.

Prompto sighed. “I’m all ears.”

“I’m the furthest thing from a poet,” Ignis began. “But the way I see it, a far better identity for truth than beauty, is love.”

“Love?” Prompto’s voice tapered off.

“Love is truth, truth love,” Ignis said. “Maybe there’s less of a ring to it. But truth is that which we trust to those we love. Love, in turn, is a sort of perfect truth.”

Prompto blinked and looked down.

“To those we love, we are our true selves. And they to us. This is the foundation of intimacy.” Ignis patted Prompto’s hand and stood up. “I’ll stop embarrassing you now.”

“I—wait!”

“Text me if anything comes up,” Ignis said, exiting the dining room.

Prompto frowned and looked down at his plate. He had finished eating, but the thought of getting up from the table and searching for Noctis filled him with uncertainty. Noctis _had_ sent him that text to tell him to stay away. On the other hand, he knew him well enough to be certain that when he asked to be left alone, he only meant for a short while. Back in school, if Prompto didn’t come after and find him quickly enough after he’d stormed off, Noctis would complain instead about Prompto’s delay and pout that he’d been having too much fun without him. _What took you so long?_

“Just like when we first met,” Prompto chuckled. A midday breeze billowed the curtains and fluttered the flat, droopy strands of gold along his forehead.

 _I’ll go find Noct_ , Prompto thought. _Right after I fix my hair._

 

* * *

 

Noctis bit into the cold meatball sub and set it down next to himself. He hadn’t been hungry when he’d purchased it in the market several hours before, but had figured that he should take something to eat with him to the top of the transmission tower anyway. He tapped the screen of his phone and checked his texts yet again. Still nothing from Prompto.

_You’ve really done it this time. Maybe you pushed him away for good._

Noctis frowned and started typing and then deleting a message into his phone over and over. Eventually, he sighed and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He took another bite of the sandwich and watched the lazy procession of cars along the southern highway.

“Noct!”

Noctis looked up, his heart suddenly beating faster. That was Prompto’s voice.

“Noct?” His voice was winded and warbly. “Are you up there?”

Noctis uncrossed his legs and kneeled forward, letting his head peek over the side of the observation deck. Prompto’s face looked up at him.

“I knew you’d be here,” Prompto said, smiling up at him. He was several rungs below on the ladder, his blond hair sticking to his forehead.

Noctis smiled back. “Let me help you up,” he said, reaching down. Prompto climbed up the last two rungs, then grabbed Noctis’s hand and stepped onto the platform.

“Hi!” Prompto said, reaching forward and hugging him. Noctis staggered from the sudden weight and tentatively hugged him back.

“You’re all sweaty,” Noctis said into his ear, feeling warm wetness along the side of his face. Prompto was radiating heat. “And what’s up with your hair?”

“Oh, sorry, I’ve been running around town looking for you. Did that come out snarky? I didn’t mean for it to.”

Noctis let him go and stepped back to see his face. “How did you even get up here? I warped up to the top because there wasn’t a ladder at the bottom.”

“I borrowed a ladder from Holly. That’s part of why I’m sweating so much. Running with a ladder is hard work.” Prompto glanced behind him to find purchase, then leaned back against the railing. “I knew this was where you’d be.”

“Shall I give you a round of applause?”

“Noct, I know you’re happy to see me. It was written all over your face when I called your name and you looked over the side.” Prompto shrugged. “So you can drop the prickly act.”

Noctis raised his eyebrows. “Someone’s sure of himself.”

“Maybe you’ve rubbed off on me.” Prompto flicked his head to his right. Noctis waited for a second, then joined him against the railing.

“Fine, I’m happy to see you.” Noctis tossed his head to the left and flashed Prompto a smile. “What took you so long?”

“I was talking to a few people. They helped me figure out what to do,” Prompto said. Before Noctis could reply, he continued. “Remember the first day we met? In high school?”

“You mean the second.”

“The day we met properly,” Prompto clarified. “Not the one where you teased me and then ran away.”

“That’s not—” Noctis chuckled. “We should really just come to a truce about this.”

“Alright, well you know which time I mean now. You told me you wanted to show me where you spent lunch hour. I’d always wondered, even when we were younger, why you were never in the cafeteria.”

“I recall you being a tad bit obsessed with me, yes,” Noctis commented.

Prompto rolled his eyes. “We went up six flights of stairs to the top of the main building, then out through the maintenance door to the roof. I’d never even seen that door before then.”

“I remember all of it, Prompto,” Noctis said. “Where are you going with this?”

“Just hold your chocobos,” Prompto said, flicking his hand against Noctis’s hip. “We sat on the edge of the roof and ate our lunches there that day, and, well, most days until we graduated. And when you didn’t bother showing up to gym that was always where I’d find you after.”

“Pointless class,” Noctis said. “I always wished dad would get me a waiver for it.”

“You know your apartment building? You used to love walking out onto the roof there too.”

“Not as often as at school. Once I’d get home I’d usually just plop on the couch until bed.”

“We watched the fireworks on New Year’s from your apartment roof senior year,” Prompto said. “Remember how I kissed your cheek because you kept dropping hints about not having anyone?”

Noctis’s face turned beet red. “So you’re trying to make me feel better by pointing out that you pitying me isn’t a new thing?”

“Noct, it was a funny joke. Or bonding experience, whatever. I can stand up for myself, you know. If I didn’t want to do something, I would tell you. If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be.”

Noctis grunted and turned away, the early sunset casting shadows across his face.

“Anyway, my point with all of this is that I knew you’d be somewhere high up, thinking. And, well, when I saw this tower, it instantly clicked.”

“Congratulations, you found me,” he pouted.

“I also knew you’d ask what took me so long. You didn’t really want to be on your own.”

“Yes, I did! At least for a while.”

“Did you start writing out a text to me?”

Noctis looked down guiltily, causing them both to laugh.

Prompto slid his back along the railing until he was flush against Noctis. The prince turned to him.

“What’s actually going on, Noct?” Prompto asked softly. “Can we talk about stuff?”

Noctis sighed and looked down. “You just want to keep battering away at my defenses, don’t you?”

“I feel like you’ve been a little, well, different this past week.” Prompto let his fingertips graze Noctis’s hand. “You know we can talk about anything. I’m not Gladio or Ignis. And I’m stuck with you for life, remember?”

Noctis breathed in sharply. “It’s so hard.”

“Hey,” Prompto said. He nudged Noctis’s arm with his elbow. “Best friends. No matter what.”

Noctis turned around to face the sunset. He leaned his elbows onto the railing and wiped the tears away from his face, his lips mouthing words until finally sound came out.

“I—I like guys. I’m gay.”

He exhaled a sound halfway between a sigh and a sob and turned his head away. Prompto leaned over to face him and placed his hand on Noctis’s back. The prince elbowed Prompto’s arm away.

“There, you dragged it out of me. Now you can go tell everyone you talk about me with.”

“Noct, stop.” Prompto walked up to him and put his arm around his shoulder, leveraging his superior strength to repel Noctis’s attempts to throw him off. “It’s all in your head. No one’s talking about you.”

“You already admitted it,” Noctis said resentfully. “Don’t try to talk your way out of it now.”

Prompto turned Noctis around forcefully to face him, his eyes flaring. “Stop it!”

Noctis looked at him in shock. “What?”

“Just stop. You keep trying to push me away. Why can’t you just trust me?”

Noctis averted his eyes. “Don’t pretend that it doesn’t bother you.”

“There you go again.” Prompto lifted his hand to the back of Noctis’s head and gave his hair a single stroke. “How do you know how I feel?”

“But,” Noctis said, looking up. “What are you saying?”

“Noct, I’m your friend because of who you are. Because you’re kind. Generous. Forgiving. Because you help people who need help. And because you’re fun to hang out with, and you make me laugh.”

Noctis sniffed. “Careful, it’ll go to my head.”

Prompto’s eyes settled on the evening star, glistening in the pink light of sunset. “Ever since we met, you’ve always accepted me for who I am. Even when I couldn’t accept myself.” He placed his hands on Noctis’s shoulders and looked back at him. “How could I not accept you for who you are?”

Noctis pushed his head into Prompto’s shoulder and began crying again. Prompto tightened his arms around Noctis and stroked his hair. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with being gay. Like, I just learned the other day that some really famous people in history were.”

“I never—” Noctis sniffed back tears. “I never thought it would be like this. I thought you would hate me.”

Prompto laughed. “Noct, I don’t think I hate anything. Even people who probably deserve it.”

“I wish I’d told you earlier,” Noctis said. His tears had dried against Prompto’s collarbone and he rested his head pensively on the blond’s shoulder. “I should have trusted you.”

“It’s up to you if you want to tell people. It was probably hard to do, though,” Prompto said, thinking of the confession he still had yet to make. “No point in looking back now, is there?”

“You’re right,” Noctis murmured.

“Oh? I didn’t quite hear that.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Noctis chuckled. “You’re pretty smart for a dumb blonde.”

Prompto rolled his eyes. “Let’s head down before I throw you off.”

“You go first,” Noctis said. “I’ll follow you.”

“Okay,” Prompto said, disentangling himself from Noctis.

“And thanks,” Noctis said quickly. “You really are the best, Prom.”

“I know,” Prompto said, giving him a smile as he lowered himself onto the ladder. They began the climb back to ground as the sun touched the western horizon.

“So,” Prompto said, once Noctis had reached the bottom and dusted his hands on his pants. “Do we get to talk about the guys you think are hot? That kind of stuff? Or is it too soon for that?”

“Um,” Noctis said, pretending to cough. “You’d want to do that?”

“You’ve sat through all these years of me talking about girls,” Prompto said, shrugging. They began walking up the highway back to the city. “Besides, we can see if we agree.”

Noctis stopped walking and stared at Prompto in amazement. “About guys?”

“Yeah! I like to think I have pretty good taste when it comes to most things.”

“This is so weird,” Noctis commented. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you.”

“There’s quite a bit you might not know about me,” Prompto said, looking back at him and winking. Noctis felt a stillness in his chest as he remembered Prompto’s hands on him the previous night.

“What—what do you mean by that?” Noctis asked, jogging to catch up with him.

“Hmm,” Prompto said, enjoying the fact that he’d intrigued the prince. “Play your cards right and I might tell you. Don’t worry, I won’t make you climb to the top of a power tower when I decide to do so.”

Noctis scowled. “You’re holding out on me? After I poured out my soul to you just now?”

“Exactly! Let’s have fun for the rest of the day, play video games or something. Leave the real stuff for tomorrow. Or, you know, whenever.”

“You’re a bad influence,” Noctis said, grinning. They’d reached the gas station; Prompto glanced north and south on the highway before crossing.

“Feel free to stop me,” Prompto said, offering Noctis his hand. “Anytime you like.”

Noctis looked down at Prompto’s hand.

“It’s okay if I do this?” he asked, slipping his fingers between Prompto’s.

Prompto shrugged. “Why not?”

“You never stop surprising me,” Noctis said, squeezing.

They entered the shadows of the city, turning into the alley that connected the highway to the plaza of the Leville. The path was empty: only a few paces from the crowd along the boardwalk and in the main square, they had found a place of warm solitude under the rose sky.

“I’m glad you trusted me,” Prompto said.

“Not as much as me,” Noctis replied. He lifted his head up and let out a sudden peal of laughter, then a guttural yell, into the air above them. A flock of roosting doves alit from the eaves and flew west.

“Noct?” Prompto stopped walking and looked at him. Noctis turned, grinning, the sides of his face wet with tears again.

“I just feel like I’m living, Prompto.” He let go of Prompto’s hand and raised his arms toward the sky. “I’ve never—” he spun around and let his hands fall, staggering. “I’ve never felt this happy. It’s like bliss.”

“Noct,” Prompto said, laughing. “You spun! And I didn’t even get it on camera.”

“This is all because of you,” Noctis said. He wrapped his hand around Prompto’s once more. “I can’t believe how amazing you are.”

Prompto swallowed. “Noct, you know I forget things really easily. So, I guess it’s good in a way that I’m a photographer.”

“Yeah.” Noctis smiled, his eyes moving rapidly around Prompto’s face.

“But this moment—I love everything about it. I’m going to remember it, forever.”

“Prompto,” Noctis whispered. He slid his hand to Prompto’s lower back, pressing him forward gently. Prompto closed his eyes and felt the heat of Noctis’s breath against his lips as the prince leaned into him, then the brush of his nose.

“Noct! Prompto! Is that you!” Ignis’s voice called.

Prompto felt Noctis’s hands fall away. He opened his eyes and turned to look down the alley.

“Ah, I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“Of course not,” Noctis said. “We were just talking.”

“Well, I’m glad I found you two. It’s been hours since I’ve had word. Are you both ready to go? We’ve already packed everything into the Regalia.”

“Where are we going?” Noctis asked, beginning to walk.

“Oh, I forgot that you weren’t there for that. We’re heading for a campsite near the royal tomb Gladio passed by. Although given the time, I’m worried that we’ll still be on the road after dark.” Ignis looked back at Prompto. “Come on, Prompto! Gladio’s waiting in the car for us.”

Prompto nodded and took a few halting steps to catch up with the other two. He touched his fingers to his mouth, brimming with curiosity about how Noctis’s lips would have felt against his own had Ignis not called them. Prompto had always seen love as a mystery: one that he perhaps would never experience, and probably would never understand. He paused at the mouth of the alley and watched Noctis walk into the pale expanse of the sky, thinking that if love were really as simple as truth, he had understood it for far longer than he’d realized.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem to which Ignis refers is "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats.


	20. Macaroni and Cheese

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for Episode: Gladiolus.

“And then he walked away down the bridge, till he was nearly out of sight, and vanished.”

“Um, I’m not trying to be cute, but are you sure that wasn’t just your vision going? You did have a massive gash on your head.”

Gladio chuckled. “I’m sure of what I saw, Prompto. He was some kind of specter from an earlier age.”

“After everything we’ve seen since leaving the Crown City, we can’t dismiss anything out of hand.” Ignis leaned forward and carefully placed his plate on the ground. “You say this Gilgamesh gifted you a sword?”

“I think it was Cor’s, once,” Gladio said, standing up and summoning it before him. The svelte blade pointed toward the sky, glinting in the firelight. “At least, that’s what Gilgamesh hinted at.”

“Why didn’t you just ask him?” Noctis asked.

“I did. He just grunted and waved back at me as he walked off.”

“Whoa, dude!” Prompto said, leaping from his chair and leaning toward Gladio. “That sword is sexy as fuck!”

Noctis laughed. “Easy, Prom.”

“Have a thing for big swords, do we?” Ignis said.

“You want to touch it?” Gladio offered, grinning down.

“No,” Prompto said. “That thing looks heavier than me.”

“Nah,” Gladio said, releasing the sword back into the ether. “It’s actually the lightest two-handed sword I’ve ever hefted. I guess it would have to be if a fifteen-year-old Cor was able to expertly wield it. He’s never been a huge man, and definitely not back then.”

“Size isn’t everything, you know,” Noctis piped up.

“Says the jealous short sword lover,” Gladio said. He smirked at Noctis. “You do the best with what you have, though.”

“Huh, remind me again which of us was on his knees at the end of our last sparring session?”

“I’m better than ever now, kid,” Gladio declared. “Try the same tricks as last time and you’ll be flat on your ass, crying for Prompto, before you know it.”

“Tomorrow morning?” Noctis winked.

“I’m looking forward to taking you down a peg,” Gladio said, still smiling.

“Hmm, I’m afraid I have to object. We have far too much to do tomorrow.” Ignis turned to Gladio. “That reminds me, where was that second tomb you mentioned? The one you heard about from those travelers? Can we drive there in a single day?”

“Oh yeah. I wanted to surprise you guys with that,” Gladio said. “Those travelers were hikers who’d just finished climbing to the summit of the Rock of Ravatogh. They were talking about selling the pictures they’d taken of a royal tomb they’d found up there to some travel magazine.”

“So one of the kings of Lucis asked to be buried inside a volcano. Yet more evidence that my ancestors were crazy,” Noctis grumbled.

“That’s about a six-hour drive away. Maybe a bit longer,” Ignis said, peering at the map on his phone. “Depends on how slowly we have to take that winding road that leads to the foot of the mountain.”

“Wait, so we’re going to do it? Just casually walk up to the top of the tallest peak on the continent?” Prompto scratched his side. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Please, Prompto,” Ignis said. “You’re probably the fittest of us all, given your running regimen.”

“But that was in the city. You know, where it’s flat? And paved?”

“We’re going,” Gladio said gruffly. “You think the tomb’s going to get up and stroll down to us? Stop whining.”

Prompto sighed. “I knew I should’ve packed my boots when I left home.”

“Ah, that reminds me.” Ignis returned his phone to his pocket and looked up at Prompto. “I met with a resistance courier today at the Lestallum safehouse. I asked him if there was any information on your parents, but sadly there haven’t been any signs. Your neighborhood was heavily damaged by artillery during the siege, and with the Empire in control of the city, it’s impossible to conduct a thorough search.”

“I was kind of hoping, but—” Prompto looked down at his phone. “I suppose if they were okay, they would have called by now.”

“We mustn’t lose hope, Prompto. We allow the Empire to win if we do that.”

Prompto shook his head and sat back down.

“Come on, Noct,” Gladio said, bending down to pick up the plates. “Help me do the dishes.”

Noctis rose and looked at Prompto. “You okay, Prom?”

“Yeah, I just need a few minutes.”

“You sure? I can, um, I can sit with you if you like. Or maybe play something?”

“Leave him be,” Gladio said. “Let’s get this camp scrubbed up so we can head to bed.”

Noctis nodded and walked over to the tubs at the edge of the haven. Gladio squatted down in front of one and turned on his flashlight.

“I’ll wash, you dry,” Gladio said, without looking up.

“Okay,” Noctis said, reaching over to the side of the camping stove to grab a tea towel. He sat down cross-legged next to him. “Hey, Gladio?”

Gladio grunted and handed him a dripping handful of utensils.

“I’m sorry about this morning. I—I was upset about something and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” Noctis plucked the forks and knives from Gladio’s hand and began running the tea towel over each one.

“An apology from His Majesty,” Gladio said. “Will wonders ever cease?”

“Hey, I say I’m sorry when I fuck up,” Noctis said. “Most of the time.”

“Uh-huh. And how often do you believe you do that?” Gladio shoved a wet plate into his lap.

Noctis sighed dramatically. “This is what I get for trying to be nice.”

Gladio turned to him. “Look at me.”

“Here we go,” Noctis muttered.

“Just shut your smart mouth for a second and listen. You see this?” Gladio pointed to the scar along the breadth of his forehead.

“Yeah. Sexy,” Noctis said.

Gladio began taking off his shirt.

“Whoa, whoa!” Noctis said. “It was a joke?”

“What did I say about shutting your mouth? Do you ever get tired of your own voice?” Gladio threw his T-shirt to the ground between them and pointed to his sternum. “You see this?”

“Gladio!” Noctis scrambled to his knees and leaned forward, reaching his hand out to Gladio’s chest. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Do I look like I’m bleeding out?” Gladio said, pushing Noctis back gently. “It’s healing fine. Hurt like a bitch once I looked down and saw it at the end of that fight, though.”

“I guess it goes with your tattoos,” Noctis said, fishing the next plate out of the tub next to Gladio and wiping it dry.

“Since they’re both permanent, I guess that’s a good thing.” Gladio flicked the back of his hand against Noctis’s knee. “Look at me. You know what these mean?”

“That you got sloppy in a fight?”

Gladio chuckled. “You got me there. But more importantly, they’re marks of my devotion to you.”

Noctis wrinkled his nose and sat back.

“I willingly sought out a foe who had slain every challenger but one, for you. One who wouldn’t have hesitated to take my life if I’d been unworthy, for you. One who enthralls the bodies and souls of those same challengers, imprisoning them forever in the afterlife, for you.” Gladio stabbed his index finger into the center of Noctis’s chest at the end of each sentence.

“I didn’t ask you to do that,” Noctis said. “And why keep it a secret? We could have helped you!”

“That isn’t how it works. Besides, you’re missing the point. I put myself in danger for you every day. It’s my duty. It’s not my job to ask whether you’ve made a stupid decision. It’s my job to stand between you and that stupid decision, and die if I have to, so that you can live.”

“Stop it!” Noctis turned away and slapped his hand across the top of the tub of rinsing water, sending liquid splashing over the side of the haven. “Why are you saying all this?”

Gladio ran the sponge over the surface of the last plate, then held it out to Noctis. “Maybe think about that the next time you want to take your anger out on me.”

“Thanks for making me feel like shit,” Noctis said, grabbing the plate from Gladio without looking at him. “I was apologizing to you.”

“It’s not about how you feel. It’s just the truth. And based on your reaction, I think you needed to hear it.” Gladio patted Noctis’s shoulder a few times, then grabbed his T-shirt off the ground and stood up. “Apology accepted.”

Noctis finished drying the plate, then stacked the dishes in his hands and set them down next to the camping stove. He rubbed his eyes with his jacket sleeves, then turned around to look at the campfire. Ignis and Gladio were sitting in adjacent chairs, going over tomorrow’s details.

“Where’s Prompto?” Noctis called out to them.

“I think he might have gone to bed already,” Ignis said. “I’ll be doing the same once Gladio and I finish figuring out the route to Ravatogh.”

Noctis walked to the tent and unzipped the flap. He stumbled in the darkness and steadied himself on Prompto’s leg through his sleeping bag.

“Sorry,” Noctis whispered. “Prom? You up?”

A sleepy sigh came from the other end of the tent.

_Guess not_ , Noctis thought, crestfallen. After everything that had happened today, he had been hoping to have some time alone with Prompto, even if they were only the stolen moments before Ignis and Gladio turned in. He closed the tent and crawled to his sleeping bag, then pulled on his pajamas.

Noctis looked over at Prompto. He was almost entirely cocooned, with only the crown of his blond head peeking out from his sleeping bag. Noctis smiled and snuggled down into his own bedding. “Night, Prompto,” he murmured.

In his own sleeping bag, Prompto waited for Noctis’s breaths to slow to a relaxed, steady rhythm, then for Gladio and Ignis to get into bed. Finally, he turned his camera back on under the covers and looked at the few pictures of his parents he had brought with him: the day of his induction into the Crownsguard, the two of them in formal wear for the occasion; the day he started his defense training at the Citadel, him with his revolver in his lap; a third picture with the three of them and Noctis, smiling on a bench in a park near their house. He blinked, feeling the tears coming again, and tried to be as quiet as he could so as not to wake the others.

 

* * *

 

“Morning,” Ignis said cheerfully. Prompto blinked in the sudden light as he stood up from the tent.

“It’s so bright already,” Prompto commented.

“Hmm, we’re only a week from midsummer.” Ignis flipped four pieces of meat in the frying pan, then returned to chopping tomatoes. “The days are long, the weather is hot and love blooms in the forest.”

Prompto rubbed his eyes. “What are you talking about, Iggy?”

“Merely a reference to the stage,” Ignis said. “This time of year reminds me of a popular play that deals with love’s young dream—”

“Ah, can we take a break from this for a bit?” Prompto said, walking to the large jug and basin at the edge of the haven. “I appreciate you trying to elevate me, but it’s a little early. And I’m still absorbing your last classics reference.” Prompto filled the basin with cold water from the jug and began washing his face.

“Well, that poem was only written two hundred years ago or so,” Ignis replied. “But I understand. How about we focus on breakfast instead?”

“Now you’re talking,” Prompto said, drying his face and walking up to the stove. “What are you cooking up?”

“Gighee ham, luncheon meat, eggs, malmashrooms, Leiden potatoes and Lucian tomatoes.”

Prompto chuckled. “Noct’s going to be so happy when he wakes up.”

“I was hoping so,” Ignis replied. “I fear I’ve done something to make him cross with me.”

“Oh,” Prompto said. He looked down at the chopping board. “Yeah.”

“You know, then? Has he said anything?”

“I—he did say something. But I think you’ll have to talk to him. It’s not right for me to tell you.”

Ignis peered at him suspiciously. “If it relates in any way to his safety, his health, his security, I must insist—”

“No, none of that,” Prompto said. “Please, let’s drop this and focus on cooking.”

“Very well, Prompto,” Ignis said, handing him a colander. “I trust your judgment. Strain these potatoes over that slop pot, then whisk up six eggs in that glass mixing bowl.”

They cooked in silence for several minutes, the crackling of the frying pan and chatter of the birds in the pines around them making for amiable company.

“Morning,” Gladio said. He hopped down to the basin and splashed water on his face. “It’s going to be another hot one.”

“I was just remarking to Prompto that we’re nearly up to the summer solstice,” Ignis said.

“And we’re still, um, going to walk into the volcano? Just checking,” Prompto asked. He set the bowl of beaten eggs next to Ignis and walked to one of the chairs around the campfire.

“We’ll stay well away from the lava,” Ignis said. “I sincerely hope.”

“No horseplay on the way up, either,” Gladio said, leaning over Ignis’s shoulder to examine the pans on the stove.

“Tell that to Noct,” Prompto joked.

“Speaking of telling things to Noct, can you go wake him up? The food’s just about done.” Ignis spooned the potatoes into a serving bowl, a loud sizzle filling the grove as he poured the eggs into the frying pan in their place.

Prompto ducked into the tent and crawled to Noctis’s side. He studied the prince’s rosy lips, pouting in reaction to something in his dreams, and thought back to their moment in the alleyway the previous afternoon. Prompto blushed and shook Noctis gently by his shoulder.

“Noct? Noct, wake up.”

Noctis stirred and blinked a few times before his eyes focused on Prompto.

“Morning,” Prompto said, grinning.

“Good morning,” Noctis said. “This is a nice wake-up call.”

“I bet that’s the first time those words have passed those lips,” Prompto quipped.

Noctis inhaled deeply and raised himself slightly by the elbows. “You know, you’re probably right.” He laughed, then let his head fall back into his pillow.

“Um, breakfast is ready. Ignis wanted me to tell you.”

“It smells amazing,” Noctis said. He rubbed his eyes vigorously and coughed. “Okay, just about awake. Help me up?”

“Should I carry you as well, Princess?”

“If you like,” Noctis replied, his eyes roving shamelessly over Prompto’s exposed arms. Prompto snorted and looked down. “What?”

“Come on, you,” Prompto said, yanking Noctis to his feet, then letting go of his hand.

“Look who decided to join us,” Gladio remarked.

“I’m always the last one to get up,” Noctis said. “How is that witty?”

“I wouldn’t care if Ignis didn’t make us wait for you to eat.”

“Really, do the two of you have to snipe at each other from the very start of the day?” Ignis said.

“It’s how we say hello,” Gladio said. He clapped Noctis on the back and squeezed under his armpit. “How you feeling today, kid?”

“Feeling good,” Noctis said, smiling at Prompto. He took the plate Ignis was holding out to him. “How far away is this tomb anyway?”

“Only a couple miles,” Ignis said. “Noct, there’s ham, luncheon meat, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, grilled mushrooms. And tomatoes, which you will eat.”

Noctis smiled and dropped a hunk of ham onto his plate. “What did I do to deserve this?”

Ignis stepped back, waiting for the others to finish serving themselves before picking up his plate. “I still remember your smile the first time I cooked for you.”

Gladio chuckled and sat down. “Iggy always tears up at this memory.”

“I don’t know if you were as good of a chef then,” Noctis said. “Then again, I probably was easier to please as well.”

“It’s not especially difficult now,” Ignis replied. “I just often choose not to.” Noctis stuck out his tongue, then started eating.

“What did you make?” Prompto asked, sinking into the chair between Noctis and Gladio.

“Macaroni and cheese with fish fingers.” Ignis smiled and turned to stand in front of the three of them. “And an apple, which he ate happily.”

“I’ve never had a problem with fruit.”

“Then you’ll have no problem eating some more tomato,” Ignis said, dropping a few slices onto Noctis’s plate before sitting in the last chair.

“Very funny,” Noctis grumbled.

“Macaroni and cheese,” Prompto mulled. “Was it the boxed stuff?”

“Of course not,” Ignis said darkly. “What do you take me for? I may have been young, but I wasn’t a barbarian.”

“I’ll let you in on a secret, Iggy,” Prompto said. “Noct and I have made boxed macaroni and cheese at my house more times than I can count. And he loved it every time.”

“I did,” Noctis agreed.

“I suppose you can’t be a good influence in every respect,” Ignis said. “Anyway, you may not believe this, but I didn’t really care for cooking at the time. I thought it quite slow and boring, yet found myself having to do it more and more often in the course of looking after Noct. The happiness my food brought to him was my motivation to continue on and improve. And, well, here we are.”

“This is usually where he starts tearing up,” Gladio added.

“Aw, leave him alone,” Prompto said. “It’s a really nice story, actually.”

Noctis smiled down at his lap. “I remember that day too. You surprised me with that meal, because we’d always gone to ask the kitchen staff or other servants for food. I was so excited when you pulled the food out of the oven and I didn’t have to wait for someone else to bring it.”

Ignis and Noctis shared a warm glance for a second, before both returned to the food on their plates.

“You know how lucky you are,” Gladio said, leaving it as a statement of fact rather than a question.

“Of course I do,” Noctis said. He paused, then placed his hand on Prompto’s armrest. Prompto looked at it, then at Gladio and Ignis. After a few seconds, he gingerly patted Noctis’s hand with his own.

“We better start packing up,” Ignis said abruptly. “Eat in peace, I’ll start with the tent.”

“Yup, I’ll help you,” Gladio said. “Excellent breakfast, Iggy.”

“My pleasure. You two can take care of the dishes and chairs, then.” Ignis jutted his chin toward Prompto.

Noctis was eating in silence. Prompto set his plate down on his lap and stretched his arms.

“You sleep well, Noct?”

“I guess.” Noctis placed a tomato on his tongue and grimaced. “I got a lot of sleep. Feeling refreshed.”

“Yeah, you went to bed earlier than usual,” Prompto agreed, before realizing what he was saying.

“How do you know?” Noctis turned to him. “You were sleeping when I got to the tent.”

Prompto looked away. “I just guessed.”

“So you _were_ awake when I was talking to you. Why lie?” Noctis said bluntly. “Is something wrong?”

“No!” Prompto picked up his plate and stood up. “I just wanted a little time to myself.”

“Without me, you mean.” Noctis stood up and followed Prompto to the camping stove.

“Noct,” Prompto sighed. “This might come as a massive shock, but not everything is about you. None of the four of us get much time alone, just to think. That’s all I meant by it.”

“It’s because you’re uncomfortable about yesterday, isn’t it?”

“No,” Prompto said, placing the last bite of his meal in his mouth before letting the plate fall into the tub.

“Just be honest,” Noctis said, gritting his teeth. “I know I shouldn’t have done it, but—”

“Now you’re calling me a liar when I’ve told you the truth,” Prompto said, feeling his eyes start to sting. “Everything I said yesterday was total honesty. People’s orientations don’t matter to me.”

“But it matters to you that we nearly kissed,” Noctis hissed over his shoulder.

Prompto pushed him away with his arm. “I’ll do these dishes myself. Leave me alone.”

“Prompto,” Noctis pleaded. “Please.”

“Just listen,” Prompto said, without turning around. “How many times will we have this conversation? Why won’t you just believe me when I tell you something?”

“I’ve wanted to talk to you about it since we left Lestallum,” Noctis said, after a pause. “You have to at least admit that something’s bothering you. You’re being overly sensitive.”

“Go,” Prompto said, stacking the wet dishes to the side. “I’ll see you in the car.”

“Okay, you win,” Noctis said, with a hint of bile. “We’ll talk later, I guess.”

Prompto let the rivers of water run back and forth between his hands as he wiped the remaining dishes. When the clanging of the tent poles hitting the haven’s stone began, he switched to drying, placing the dishes in careful order at the side of the stove. Like Noctis, he had first memories of someone cooking for him. One of his earliest recollections was of a pot of macaroni and cheese steaming on top of a trivet on the dining table, his mother tolerating him sitting with his knees on the chair since he was so excited. They had eaten the entire pot together while talking about his day at school, he confessing that he hadn’t made any friends yet and she promising to be his friend until he found some. After the pot had long grown cold and the sun was low in the sky outside, she brought the stepstool to the sink and showed him how to wash their dishes, her hands enclosing his.

Prompto looked down at his hands as Ignis began to pack the food away. He held them together and offered a silent prayer to the gods before asking him how he could help.


	21. The Grove

Noctis pulled one of the licks of hair at the side of his forehead over his left eye, then studied his appearance for a few seconds. With an annoyed flutter of his lips, he shoved it back away from his face. He pressed his fingers to his tongue and started tweaking a few spikes above his left ear while looking at the door of the lavatory, waiting for Prompto to come out.

The door opened; Noctis dropped his hands to his side and looked down at the shelf of canned fruit, trying to appear casual.

“It’s all yours,” Prompto said next to him.

“Huh?” Noctis looked up at Prompto, tensing the base of his spine and holding his shoulders back stiffly.

“The toilet?” Prompto screwed his nose. “Why are you standing like that?”

“Like what?”

“You look, I don’t know.”

“Taller? More muscular?”

“I think I was going to say, ‘in pain,’” Prompto replied. He glanced at the door of the shop. “Iggy and Gladio outside?”

“Yeah, they’re looking at the menu. I told them what I wanted before I came in here.”

Prompto crossed his arms. “I still can’t believe we’re going to climb that thing tomorrow. I’m pretty sure I saw clouds touching the summit.”

“The tomb might not be at the very top,” Noctis said. “I’m sorry anyway.”

Prompto sighed. “Noct, you’ve been apologizing for everything all day. I already told you that I just wanted time to myself last night.”

“And I believe you!” Noctis insisted. “I was thinking on the ride here about how stupid I was being this morning—I mean, we just had that talk, didn’t we?”

“You thought poorly of yourself for more than a few minutes?” Prompto grinned. “Is that some kind of record for you?”

“Come on, Prom,” Noctis said. “Don’t kick me when I’m down.”

“You got an ultra-powerful shield you can summon with your mind this morning, but you’re down.”

Noctis laughed. “You want it? I don’t really like shields that much.” The Shield of the Just materialized between them, knocking a row of canned goods to the floor with a loud crash.

“Hey!” the shopkeeper yelled from the counter. “Darn kids. What are you playing at?”

“Sorry,” Noctis said, releasing the shield. Prompto was bent over, his laughs coming out as wheezes. “Don’t just stand there laughing, help me pick this stuff up.”

“Oh man,” Prompto said, snapping a photograph of Noctis on his knees, his hands filled with cans of apricots.

Noctis’s face burned with embarrassment. “You’re deleting that later,” he said, without looking up.

“Come on,” Prompto said, kneeling down to help. “You want me to erase all the good ones.”

“I guess it’s a memory,” Noctis said begrudgingly.

“You need to keep it, though,” Prompto said, once they’d finished stacking the cans back onto the shelf. “What kind of Prince Charming doesn’t have a shining sword and shield?”

“Is that what I am?” Noctis smiled.

Prompto slapped Noctis’s abs lightly with the back of his hand and walked past him. “What you think you are, at least.”

“Where are you going?” Noctis called after him.

“Going to order dinner, remember?”

“Oh, yeah,” Noctis said. He glanced at himself in the mirror again and adjusted his bangs before hurrying after him.

“Finally,” Ignis said. “What took you so long in the toilet?”

Prompto flopped into the chair next to him. “Wait, you didn’t hear that racket? Noct ‘knocked’ over an entire shelf in the store with his new shield.”

Gladio regarded Noctis as he slumped into the last chair. “You did what?”

“It was an accident,” Noctis said. “Let’s just order, I’m starving.”

“You summoned arms in the middle of Verinas Mart?” Ignis adjusted his spectacles. “I seem to recall a very early lesson of Gladio’s in which you were taught to never raise your weapon at a civilian.”

“I didn’t point it at him,” Noctis said. “I was just showing the shield to Prompto.”

“Showing it off, more like,” Prompto chuckled.

“Were you now?” Ignis said.

“Passing the blame off to him,” Gladio commented. “Nice.”

“Ready to order?” the chef called from the stove.

“Oh!” Prompto looked down at the menu and moved his finger around it quickly. “Yeah.”

The deep fryer sizzled with their dinner. As Ignis explained the details of the next morning’s hike, Noctis studied Prompto’s expression. From the right, Prompto’s fringe obstructed his eyes, frustrating Noctis’s efforts to gauge his mood. He seemed happier than that morning, yet he only threw brief glances to Noctis, his eyes focusing instead on Ignis’s words or the view of the volcano above them.

“Surprised you agreed to us going out for dinner,” Prompto said, once the food had arrived.

“I thought it best to pack the food we have for the trek up to the tomb,” Ignis said. He sliced into the smoked dualhorn shank. “And, given that we haven’t been to this area of Cleigne yet, I hoped to find inspiration for new recipes in the local cuisine.”

Noctis surveyed the table of fried potatoes, birdbeast fritters and smoked behemoth steaks. “I can live with the food here.”

“If you want to die of heart failure at thirty, perhaps,” Ignis admonished. “Well, I think I can make this one back at camp, at least. Wood-smoked behemoth, rubbed with oil and salt and seasoned with nutmeg.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Gladio said.

“Can’t wait to try it,” Noctis agreed.

“Oh,” Ignis said, putting down his fork. “Speaking of the food for tomorrow. Whilst you two were using the toilet, the Erupto Eats owner was telling me about some of the areas of interest around the base of Ravatogh. One of them is a field of hot springs just to the west of here. Apparently, if you walk to the edge and continue on to the northwest a bit, you can find an orchard of apricot trees of which he is the owner.”

“So that’s why there were so many cans of apricots in the Verinas Mart,” Prompto said. His eyes met Noctis’s and they shared a knowing smile. Noctis looked down at his lap and blushed.

“As he told it, this week is the height of a very good apricot season, and he can’t harvest the fruit fast enough to save it from falling to the ground and going to waste. He said he’d allow us to pick as much as we like, free of charge. I convinced him to take a few hundred gil anyway.”

“Iris loves apricots,” Gladio said, scratching his cheek. “Wish she were here.”

“Let’s put a few in the cooler for her,” Ignis said. “So tomorrow, I’ll send the two of you by there before we begin our ascent. It will be good to have some fresh fruit. The selection in Lestallum was lacking when I visited the market yesterday.”

Gladio frowned. “Why? It’s summer, shouldn’t the produce stalls be overflowing?”

“Normally, yes. However, the influx of refugees from Insomnia has strained supplies. Farmers and merchants are finding a way to adapt and provide, but it’s not an instant process.”

Noctis pushed the fries on his plate back and forth. “I wonder if dad knew all this would happen. When he decided to just hand the kingdom over to Niflheim, I mean.”

“Noct!”

“You’re out of line,” Gladio agreed.

Noctis shrugged. “It’s what he did. Why not just stay behind the Wall? We were doing fine. Sure, we were smaller, but we were safe and able to lead normal lives. Not a nation of refugees and exiles.”

“I’m sure no one thought of that,” Gladio remarked sarcastically.

“The Wall wouldn’t have protected us forever,” Ignis said. “The Empire had already discovered a way to disrupt the Crystal’s magic. This was one of the factors that forced the painful concessions your father had to make.”

“’Painful concessions.’ More like total surrender,” Noctis replied, dropping the fry. He brought his hand to the armrest and began tapping at it with the backs of his knuckles, the force increasing with each strike.

“You’re a sparkling ray of sunshine as usual,” Gladio muttered. “Can’t wait to hear your motivating speeches to our troops.”

“What troops?” Noctis shot back acidly.

“Noct,” Prompto said softly. He reached over and placed his hand on the prince’s forearm. Noctis’s arm went still.

“Enough with this conversation.” Ignis removed his glasses and shut his eyes. “I don’t know why you’re trying to start an argument, but we have to get an early night. Finish eating and we can set up the tent.”

“Camping,” Noctis said dryly. “Again.”

Gladio snorted. “What, you got a problem with camping?”

“I was hoping you’d changed your mind about sleeping in the caravan right over there,” Noctis said, looking at it longingly.

“Ah, I did inquire about it. Unfortunately, a group of patients here for the hot springs were already booked in for the night.”

“Oh yeah, I talked to one of them,” Prompto said. He turned in his seat to face Noctis, folding his right leg underneath him. “She was telling me that sitting in the springs really helps people while they recover from illness or injury.”

“Neat,” Noctis said blandly.

“But the war, especially all the Imperial patrols and blockades, has been making it harder for the hospital to bring patients here to recover. Her group was supposed to have made the trip several weeks ago. So, they’re really happy to finally be here.” Prompto patted Noctis’s arm at the end of the sentence.

“Okay, okay,” Noctis joked. “They can have the caravan.”

“That’s something as well,” Ignis said. “We don’t talk as much about the plight of those beyond the Wall. They are Lucians as a matter of history—and, dare I say, principle, regardless of the broken treaties we’ve signed.”

“I thought you just said you wanted to drop this,” Noctis said, bringing a birdbeast fritter to his mouth.

“It’s just something to think about. These are the sorts of complexities with which your father contended every day. The same ones you’ll face, in time.”

Noctis closed his eyes for a few seconds, then stood up. “I’ll get started on setting up camp.”

“I’ll box the rest of your food for you,” Ignis called after him.

“Hey Noct, wait up,” Prompto said, springing up from his chair. Noctis turned around, one eyebrow quirked under the pink neon of the restaurant’s sign. “I’ll help you.”

They walked to the Regalia in silence. Noctis opened the trunk and handed Prompto their sleeping bags, then took the tent into his arms.

“We’re just camping over there,” Noctis said, motioning toward a rocky precipice across the street from the outpost. “The floodlights reach it, so we should be safe from demons, even though it’s not a haven.”

“Gladio’s okay with that?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah,” Noctis said. “I think he even liked the idea. Come on.”

“I can carry more than this, you know.” Prompto raised the sleeping bags in his hands.

“I know you can,” Noctis replied, already crossing the street. “I’m carrying the heavy stuff so my arms can catch up to yours.”

Prompto chuckled and took two camping chairs under his arm. When he reached the spot at which Noctis had begun laying out the tent, he stood them up, then placed the sleeping bags onto the seats.

“Just trying to remember where this pole goes,” Noctis mumbled. He was squatting among a mess of fabric, ropes and metal, puzzling over the initial step of erecting their shelter.

After watching him for a while, Prompto strode up to Noctis and gave him a playful slap on his buttocks. The prince’s head jerked up in surprise, and he dropped the two poles he was holding.

“Alone at last,” Prompto said, angling his chin to where Ignis and Gladio still sat across the street. He met Noctis’s eyes and smiled broadly.

“You’re singing a different tune than this morning,” Noctis said, looking back down at the tent. “Why doesn’t this come with instructions?”

“Come on, Noct, you’ve put it together before without Gladio.”

“Yeah,” Noctis agreed. “But I forget it each time.”

Prompto sat down next to him. Their knees touched; Noctis slid a few inches away and continued to study the tent materials. Prompto picked up another pole and inspected each end.

“Prom, about yesterday,” Noctis began. “I wish it had never happened.”

Prompto looked over at him in concern. “What do you mean? You wish you hadn’t come out?”

“No,” Noctis said. “I’m definitely happy I came out to you. It went better than I’d ever hoped.” He turned to Prompto and smiled. “I’d do it all over again, gladly.”

“Then you mean—”

“I wish I hadn’t tried to make a move on you in that alley. I just got swept up in the moment and didn’t realize what I was doing. I don’t—” he looked away. “I don’t even know why I did it.”

“Oh,” Prompto said, sitting back. “So you didn’t, um, actually want it?”

“What I want is for this weirdness between us to go away. I know it’s all my fault. That’s why I wish I could go back and keep that moment from ever happening.” Noctis dropped the tent poles to the ground with a loud clatter. “You deserve to feel safe around me. Not like I’m some kind of predator who’s going to take advantage of you at any moment.”

“What?” Prompto rose to his knees to shuffle closer to Noctis. “Of course I don’t think that, Noct. I know you’d never do anything like that.”

“That’s one thing I always feared about telling people,” Noctis said, staring off at the smoke of the volcano. “That they’d think I couldn’t control myself; that I just hit on all the straight men around me. Then I go and do just that.”

“Noct, don’t worry about this.” Prompto rubbed the prince’s back as he spoke. “Like I told you then, that moment was perfect. I didn’t feel like you were taking advantage of me. I just felt—I don’t know. Completely filled with happiness for you.”

Noctis looked up at him. “So you didn’t mind?”

“No,” Prompto said, giving him a faint smile. “Hey, who knows what crazy things would’ve happened if Ignis hadn’t strolled up.”

“Probably nothing that exciting,” Noctis said. “I’ve never kissed anyone, so I was probably doing it all wrong. And I think my breath smelled like a meatball sub at the time.”

“No comment,” Prompto said, drawing a chuckle from Noctis.

“Well, if we’re joking about this, then I guess things are back to normal?” Noctis said hopefully.

“They always were, silly,” Prompto replied. “I was just feeling down last night. Most of today, too, actually.”

“Why?” Noctis said, turning to face him. “Tell me. Can I do anything?”

“No,” Prompto said. His flaxen hair, pale in the moonlight, trembled in the breeze rolling off the slopes of the mountain. “I don’t think so. But if I think of anything, I’ll tell you.”

“I can’t believe how open-minded you are,” Noctis said, after a pause. “I think any other straight guy would be out for my blood if I’d tried to kiss him.”

“I guess I’m not any other straight guy, then,” Prompto said. Noctis gulped and shifted his legs underneath him.

“Astrals,” Gladio rumbled from behind them. “You still haven’t put the tent up? After all this time?”

“We were talking!” Noctis said, scrambling up. “I know how to do it fine.”

“Right. Well, go ahead. Put up the tent, I’ll relax for a change. Since you’re so adept at doing it.”

Noctis sniffed and crossed his arms. “Now that you’re here, you can do it. I don’t have to prove anything to you.”

“Exactly what I thought. Stand here and watch while I show you how to do this.” Gladio bent down and began separating the different parts of the tent from each other.

“A hand?” Ignis said, ambling up to the campsite with his arms filled with paraphernalia. Prompto jogged over and relieved him of several sleeping bags and pillows, then stacked them in the camping chairs. “Oh dear, the tent’s still not up. Was there a problem?”

“Um, Noct and I got distracted,” Prompto said.

“Is that right?” Ignis adjusted his glasses. “Well, I’m glad you two are getting on again, in any case.”

“We’re fine, Iggy,” Prompto said. “I was just thinking about stuff. And no, before you ask, I’m not telling you about it.”

“Entirely fair. Here, try on these hiking boots I rented from Verinas. We want to each make sure they’re comfortable before we embark.”

Prompto stood up the last two camping chairs, then sat in one and started unlacing the boots. Noctis appeared surprisingly attentive to the lesson Gladio was giving him on the proper method of erecting their tent; Prompto smiled at the expression of concentration on the prince’s face and began easing his foot into the first boot. Noctis glanced over to him and playfully lifted his hand to his head while rolling his eyes. Prompto’s smile widened and he looked down at the shoe, finding it a perfect fit.

 

* * *

 

“I can see your breath,” Noctis said. They shuffled across the deserted road, still sluggish with sleep. The sun was little more than a hint of lavender on the eastern horizon.

Prompto shivered. “Who knew it would be this chilly here in the mornings?”

Noctis shrugged his shoulders and started to pull one of his hands into his sleeve. “You want my jacket?”

“Then you’ll be cold, silly,” Prompto said. “Besides, you couldn’t admire my arms anymore if you gave me that.”

Noctis blushed and looked away, then kicked a stray rock out of their path. “Funny.”

“Thanks,” Prompto said. They reached the edge of the hot springs. “Maybe I’ll just stand here for a while and get warm.”

“I wonder how far away these apricots are.” Noctis scratched the stubble on his chin. “Ignis just said to keep walking past the springs until we saw trees. All I see are rocks and dirt in every direction.”

“I see them already,” Prompto said, pointing toward some flecks of green that peeked around an outcrop of black stone.

“Nice,” Noctis said. He grabbed the container from Prompto’s hand and started walking. “Come on!”

Prompto sighed. “Farewell, hot springs.”

“Dude, it’s going to be scorching hot the entire way up and down the mountain,” Noctis called back to him. He had broken into a jog. “I’d enjoy the cool air while you can.”

Prompto ran up to Noctis, then pivoted around and started jogging backward in front of him. “What’s the hurry?”

“Sometimes I like jogging places,” Noctis said. “It gets me there faster.”

Prompto abruptly stopped, his hands on his hips. “Since when?”

“Hey,” Noctis said. He bumped into Prompto’s chest and steadied himself by grabbing the blond’s shoulder. “You almost knocked us over.”

“No but like, your primary mode of transportation the whole time I’ve known you is dragging yourself slouching from place to place,” Prompto said. His breath billowed out like the steam from the hot springs behind them. Noctis caught the smell of peppermint from his toothpaste. “Well, that or getting driven around by Ignis.”

Noctis pressed the container into Prompto’s hands. “I guess I just have more responsibilities to get to now,” he deadpanned. “Hey, look.”

Prompto turned. The orchard began on the slope just above them; the first tree was close enough for them to make out the individual fruits in the waxing sunrise.

“Breakfast time,” Prompto said. He nudged Noctis with his elbow and started climbing the hill.

Noctis watched him walk ahead. His eyes drifted from his back to his thighs, then to the sway of his hips. He abruptly turned around and looked at the horizon, his lust and shame making his cheeks hot. In the fading stars of the eastern skies, the hunter, his spear eternally raised in pursuit of his quarry, was still barely visible. The stag, just to the south, reared on its hind legs, placed among the luminaries at the very moment of being taken.

Noctis shook his head. For all his noble talk of wanting Prompto to feel safe around him, he was still gazing upon him like prey to be hunted.

“Noct!” Prompto called from the top of the hill. “You coming?”

“Yeah, coming,” Noctis said, running up to meet him.

“You can smell those apricots already,” Prompto said with a grin, once the prince was at his side. He held the wooden gate open for him.

“Yuck, it’s wet,” Noctis commented, once Prompto had latched the gate behind them. “Did it rain?”

“It’s probably just the dew on the leaves and grass,” Prompto said. He peered through the shimmering mist festooned from the fragrant branches. “This is so weird. It’s like a lush forest in the middle of a wasteland. I can almost forget everything that’s happening beyond these trees.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice,” Noctis said.

“It really would be,” Prompto agreed, not taking notice of his sarcasm. He angled his chin up to the leaves above them. “Do you hear those birds chirping?”

“Of course I hear them, I’m not deaf,” Noctis said. He grabbed the plastic box from Prompto and started walking to one of the trees with a ladder underneath it.

“It’s not their fault you’re not a morning person,” Prompto teased. “I bet they love it here. So much free food!”

Noctis grunted as he pulled apricots from the tree’s lowest branches.

“There must be hundreds of apricots on the ground,” Prompto added. “Ignis wasn’t exaggerating.”

“If we could pick all these,” Noctis said thoughtfully, dropping three dark orange orbs from his left hand into the container. “Well, we could help a lot of the refugees, couldn’t we?”

“Noct,” Prompto said. “It’s not your fault. We can’t help every person who needs it right away.”

Noctis reached for a fruit that hung slightly farther than his arm could reach. The ladder wobbled; Prompto reached out to steady it.

“It’s my responsibility to think about these things,” Noctis said, retrieving the apricot and gazing down at it. “Dad may have failed them, but that doesn’t mean I have to make the same mistakes.”

“You don’t really think that,” Prompto murmured.

Noctis laughed. “So it’s alright for you to tell me what I think, but not the other way around.”

“I—” Prompto looked up at him. “You just were never this hard on your dad when he was alive.”

“Yeah, well, things have obviously changed since then.” Noctis climbed down from the ladder and handed Prompto the box of fruit. “My arm’s sore, you want to keep going?”

Prompto looked down and picked out a deep gold apricot with crimson streaks, then handed it to Noctis. “Here, let’s try them.” They leaned against the tree trunk next to each other and each bit into a fruit.

“Ah!” Noctis yelped. “It’s getting juice all over my hand.”

Prompto laughed. “You can wipe it on the grass.”

Noctis bent down and ran his palm against the beads of dew. “I guess it just bothers me that Ignis and Gladio expect me to solve all this stuff, you know? When no one before me could and it’s not even my fault it’s a problem now.”

“I know,” Prompto said. “Although, I don’t think they expect you to solve everything.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“They don’t,” Prompto replied with confidence. “No one could solve every problem in the world, the kingdom or even the Crown City. They just want you to do your best.”

“I’m a stupid kid who knows shit all about Lucis, the Empire, politics, economics—”

“So, the average Lucian monarch in history, when they got to the throne.”

Noctis turned to him and grinned. “What are you, some kind of filthy republican? Want to overthrow me?”

“Somehow, I don’t think that would work out too well for me,” Prompto replied. “What I mean is, those kings and queens did it somehow. So how bad could you be?”

“Well, that’s a ringing endorsement,” Noctis muttered. “You’re usually better at this.”

“I just woke up!” Prompto said. He stood with the box of fruit and returned Noctis’s wry smile. “Okay, I’ll pick a few more, then we can head back.”

Prompto carried the ladder to an adjacent tree and began plucking the low-hanging apricots. Noctis stayed leaning against the trunk, watching him work. The sun, now fully risen, hovered just behind the trees, forcing Noctis to squint whenever his eyes reached too high. Prompto’s bare muscles tensed with effort; the golden hairs under his arms teased Noctis’s gaze, hiding and reappearing with each fruit Prompto collected. Noctis felt the first beads of sweat collect on his forehead: the heat of the day was beginning.

“Almost full now,” Prompto said languidly. “It’s pretty heavy.”

“Want me to hold it?” Noctis said, pushing himself from the tree and walking over. “You don’t want to drop all of them.”

“Thank you, my hero,” Prompto quipped. He lowered the harvest into Noctis’s hands, then resumed his work, picking a few fruits and handing them down to him.

Noctis cleared his throat. “What you said before about wanting to live in a forest—”

“Hey, I never said anything about living here,” Prompto said, dropping back to the ground. “Maybe just taking an extended vacation.”

“It’s not much to look at.”

“The point is to forget about all the crap going on.” Prompto shrugged. “We don’t really get to do that.”

“You said that before,” Noctis said. He set the box on the ground and took a step toward Prompto. “Is something bothering you?”

“I—” Prompto looked down. “Noct, can you think of anyplace like this in Insomnia?”

“There aren’t any forests in Insomnia, silly.” Noctis added a laugh to the end of his sentence, but Prompto didn’t return it.

“I guess not any real ones. Or wild ones, I mean. But there are places like this, with trees, grass, birds.” Prompto looked behind himself, then leaned back onto the tree trunk. “Places where the city feels far away.”

“You’re talking about Crepera Park, aren’t you? Well, if you get lost and can’t find your way back to the trail, I guess it could feel like a forest.”

“I wonder what it looks like now,” Prompto said.

“Did I ever tell you this story? Iris once got lost there,” Noctis said with a wistful smile. “I followed her all the way there from the Citadel and brought her back.”

“And you wonder why she has a crush on you.”

Noctis frowned. “This was when we were little kids.”

“You didn’t have a crush on anyone when you were a kid?”

“Point taken,” Noctis said. He exhaled and leaned against the tree next to Prompto. “Anyway, that’s when Gladio stopped hating me. Though I get the feeling he wobbles on that decision daily.”

Prompto was quiet. “You know, the Citadel borders one end of Crepera Park. You remember what the other end is?”

“The Westmarsh,” Noctis said instantly. He nudged Prompto with his elbow. “Your neighborhood. You think I’d forget that?”

“I could see the park from my bedroom window,” Prompto said. “I loved how green it was. From the very first week I had a camera, I’d go there and take pictures. People, animals, scenery. The trees, the lake at the center of the park. The sky.”

“I walked there with you more than few times,” Noctis said. He turned his head to look at him. “You okay? You sound—I don’t know. Sad.”

“The night before last, I was looking at a picture I’d taken there. It was from last summer; the trees and grass were alive like this,” Prompto said, motioning his hand to their verdant surroundings. “It was a picture of you and me on the bench next to the western entrance, with my parents on either side of us. You remember that day?”

“Prompto,” Noctis said, jerking up. “I remember. That was my birthday, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, they wanted a picture before we left the house.” Prompto smiled. “But it couldn’t be just anywhere, mom wanted it on that one specific bench.”

“Your parents got me that silly electric razor,” Noctis chuckled. He patted his cheeks. “Does it look like I needed that?”

Silence slowly settled in between them and the smile faded from Prompto’s face.

“Ignis told me the other night that the Westmarsh was pretty much obliterated by the Empire,” Prompto said quietly. “Everything we just talked about, the good things we remember? That’s all gone now. The park, my house, my—my parents.”

“Prom!” Noctis stood in front of him and grabbed his shoulders. “You don’t know that!”

“Why’d it happen to them, Noct?” His entire body shook; Noctis held him up with his arms as Prompto’s knees buckled. “They were just normal people. Kind enough to take in someone else’s kid and give him a good life.”

“Prompto, I—”

“They didn’t know anything about the stupid Crystal, or the Empire—any of it.” Prompto let his face fall into Noctis’s chest, his voice straining. “I didn’t get to see them enough when they were alive. Then I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

Noctis ran his hand through Prompto’s hair. “They might still be alive. There’s still hope.”

“No,” Prompto said, muffled against Noctis. He lifted his head and rested his chin on Noctis’s shoulder. “Please, just tell the truth. You know it’s true.”

“There _is_ hope,” Noctis said. He shook Prompto’s shoulders. “If they’re out there, we’ll find them. I’ll do anything I can, you know I will.”

Noctis looked around at the grove helplessly as Prompto continued to sob. The birds sang on, oblivious to the tragedy on the ground; the wind fluttered the leaves on the heavy branches of the apricot trees.

“We’ll find your mom and dad,” Noctis insisted. “We’ll rebuild all the houses in all the neighborhoods. And we’ll replant the entire park.” He felt Prompto looking up from his shoulder. “Then, we’ll plant trees like these ones everywhere. All over Insomnia.”

Prompto choked out a laugh. “Sounds like a big project.”

“You don’t know the half of it, Blondie,” Noctis said, still stroking Prompto’s hair. “We’ll plant seeds all over Lucis next. Even beyond that, if they let us. The world will be green, alive, again.”

Prompto’s arms wrapped around him. Noctis felt him growing back to his normal height, standing tall once more.

“I promise, Prompto. Things will get better. For everyone. I’ll make sure of it.”

“I believe you, Noct,” Prompto said. He held onto Noctis just above the waist and leaned back to look into his eyes. “And I believe _in_ you, too. Hey, how was that for a motivational speech? We should have recorded it for Gladio.”

“I guess you just inspire me,” Noctis said softly. He lifted his fingers to Prompto’s face and drew his fringe back. The blond’s violet eyes looked back at him uncertainly.

 _You deserve to feel safe around me_ , he’d told him. Noctis smarted at this memory, dropping his hand. He pulled Prompto into a sudden hug that seemed to throw him off balance, but he steadied himself and returned the embrace.

“I knew there was a reason you kept me around,” Prompto joked into his neck.

Noctis hummed an assent, his eyes closed in a mixture of contentment and frustration. The scent of apricots around him, both fresh and fallen, was like honey and wine: mixed with the earthy smells of young grass, damp soil and Prompto’s sweat, it was intoxicating; overpowering. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, letting the sun caress his face until he felt Prompto gently pulling away from his shoulder, telling him it was past time for them to go.


	22. Seeds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me a while. First, because it's very long; second, because I really wanted to do it well. I hope you like it. Let me know what you think.

“Noct, you look hot,” Prompto said, accepting his outstretched hand.

“Thank you for noticing,” Noctis said, winking as he pulled him up onto the ledge.

“You know what I meant.” Prompto placed his hands on his hips and coughed, then pulled his bottle from its place at the side of his backpack. “Want some water? Your cheeks are rosy.”

“Stay hydrated, Noct,” Ignis called back to him. He was moving slowly through a patch of sand, already on his way to the next outcrop.

“Yeah, alright,” Noctis said, taking the bottle from Prompto’s hands and drinking.

“Slow down!” Prompto burst out laughing at Noctis as water spilled from the corners of his mouth and soaked the collar of his shirt.

“Sorry.” Noctis brought the bottle away from his mouth and resealed the cap. He handed it back to Prompto and fixed his eyes on him. “Guess I was thirstier than I thought.”

“Well, on the bright side, if you drink all the water down here, it’s less weight to carry to the top.” Prompto started hiking past him. “Come on, we should catch up. Iggy’s already annoyed with us for taking so long at the orchard.”

“But I’m sick of this endless walking,” Noctis whined, happy that Gladio was too far ahead of him on the slope to hear him.

Prompto laughed. “Noct, we haven’t even been going for very long.”

“Must just be the heat,” Noctis said. He wrinkled his nose. “And this place smells terrible. Like the bathroom at a Crow’s Nest.”

“I think that’s the sulfur. You actually need a break? We should stop if you’re not feeling well.” Prompto paused at the outcrop above Noctis and scrutinized him.

“Nah,” Noctis replied, grabbing Prompto’s hand and scrambling onto the ledge to stand beside him. “I just like being dramatic. You know that.”

Prompto chuckled. “You do enjoy being the center of attention.”

“Come on, you two!” Ignis was far enough ahead to have to yell.

“How long have we been hiking, anyway?” Noctis asked Prompto.

“About three hours,” Prompto said. He crouched down, moving slowly along the sleek volcanic ash. “Careful here, I almost slipped when I tried to walk up.”

“I’ll just do what you do,” Noctis said, shuffling across the gap between the rocks.

“Well, it would be a shame if our hero died from tumbling down a mountain before he could save the world.” Prompto looked back to make sure that Noctis was ready before making for the next outcrop.

Noctis chuckled. “You know, you’re going to feel really bad if that actually happens.”

“I have faith in you,” Prompto said. He paused to steady himself as the breeze uplifted the grains of sand beneath their feet. “I mean, you do enjoy pointing out that you’re not the clumsy one.”

“I bet you’d love a photograph of me mid-pratfall,” Noctis grumbled.

“I’d blow it up to floor-to-ceiling size and frame it,” Prompto agreed.

Noctis climbed onto the boulder and stood next to Prompto, grinning. “You want a floor-to-ceiling picture of me in your house?”

“Who said anything about my house? I was planning on putting it at the front of the gallery I open one day.”

“I’m driving off without you at the next rest stop,” Noctis muttered, resuming the climb.

“You’d last two minutes before turning around,” Prompto said, turning on his heels to follow him.

“Yeah, yeah.”

They reached the penultimate outcrop before the rim of the upper path. Noctis put his hands on his hips and closed his eyes as another warm breeze raised the sienna tephra in swirling eddies.

“Will you two move it along?” Gladio shouted from the top of the slope. “We don’t want to be up here when night falls.”

“I didn’t really want to be up here during the day, either,” Prompto joked, looking up at him.

“Less whining, more walking,” Gladio said.

“The path ahead isn’t as steep,” Ignis added encouragingly.

“You hear that, Noct? Race you up there!” Prompto smacked the prince’s rear and leaned down to start moving across the sand. Noctis thought his hand had lingered on his buttocks for a second longer than normal but shook his head, dismissing it as yet more wishful thinking.

“You started without me!” Noctis protested.

“No racing,” Gladio bellowed. “Walk carefully.”

Noctis watched Prompto, then glanced up at Gladio and Ignis’s position. “Looks close enough,” he said to himself, shrugging and making ready to summon his sword.

“I knew you’d do that,” Prompto said, accepting Noctis’s outstretched hand and lifting himself onto the top of the slope. He flopped down next to him and opened his water bottle. “You dirty warping scoundrel.”

“What can I say?” Noctis said, leaning against Prompto’s arm. “I just wanted to be at the top to help you up.”

Prompto snorted. “Save your sweet-talking efforts for the Empire. I’m not fooled.” Noctis sat back and rested his head on Prompto’s shoulder, then looked up and flashed him a grin.

“Tired?” Gladio asked.

“Getting by,” Noctis said. “How much longer until we reach the top?”

“You make it sound like a bus tour.” Gladio crossed his arms and gazed up the winding path around the mountain. “We don’t have experience with the trail, and there’ll probably be more enemies along the way.”

“To add to that, we don’t exactly know where the tomb is.” Ignis finished studying the map and zipped up his backpack. “If we’re lucky, it will be lower down than the actual summit, and in an accessible location.”

“I might be able to find it, based on the pictures the hikers showed me,” Gladio said. “This place is big, though. The upshot is that we don’t know how long all of this will take, so you’ll have to cut your cuddle break short.”

Prompto nudged Noctis’s head with his shoulder. “You heard the man.”

“Fine, I’m getting up,” Noctis said. “Sooner we get the weapon, sooner we can leave this place.”

“That’s the spirit,” Ignis said.

“And hopefully go straight to a place with an actual bed?” Noctis added.

“We’ll see,” Ignis said. “It’s possible that we’ll have to find a place up here to camp overnight. It won’t be safe to descend in the dark.”

“What?” Prompto said, as the four of them proceeded up the worn, uneven trail. “Camp? Here?”

“We have our sleeping bags and enough food for tomorrow. No tent, but I don’t see any rain on the horizon.”

“But—” Prompto scratched his head. “Isn’t that a little, um, dangerous?”

Gladio laughed. “Prompto, can I introduce you to the last two months?”

“You know, that’s a good point.” Prompto raised his camera to snap a picture of the three others walking ahead of him. “I don’t usually think about how dangerous everything we do is.”

“A lot of times, it’s best not to,” Gladio said. “Focus in the moment on each thing you’re doing. You can reflect on it all at the end of the day. Or when we retire.”

“Speaking of focusing, watch your step on this narrow path,” Ignis said, indicating the stone ledge in front of them. “Give each other adequate space when crossing.”

“That—that’s the path?” Prompto looked around them. “Are you sure there isn’t another way?”

“There was probably a bridge here at some point,” Ignis mused. “Maybe weather brought it down, or simply lack of upkeep.” He looked back at them. “I’ll go first. Remember, take the utmost care. That drop looks unpleasant.”

“No horsing around then, Noct,” Prompto said, watching Ignis slide along the precipice.

“I’ll save it for later,” Noctis deadpanned, pressing his back against the mountain.

A wave of hot air hit the four of them once they had crossed to the other side.

“Um, is it erupting?” Prompto asked, shielding his face with his arm.

“Even if it were, what could we do about it?” Gladio pointed up the rise to the plumes of smoke rising from the lava. “Looks like we’re just closer to the crater.”

“That must mean we’re getting closer to the tomb,” Noctis said, wiping his brow.

“I’m inclined to agree,” Ignis said. “However, I’m not seeing a good path forward. The path to the right seems to be a lava flow.”

“So, not that side,” Gladio added.

“But the path to the left looks like it ends with a sheer cliff face. I wonder how the hikers made it past here.”

“There could be a crevice or tunnel we don’t see,” Gladio said. “Or the cliff could be scalable. Let’s take a look.”

“Oh sure, Prompto,” he said under his breath, as Gladio and Ignis ventured into the clearing. “Time for you to just climb up a sheer wall to get to the crater of a volcano. As you do.”

“Hey, if I can do it, so can you,” Noctis said. He wrapped his hand around Prompto’s bare arm and squeezed. “We both know who has more upper body strength.”

Prompto reached over and felt Noctis’s arm in return. “Not so bad yourself.”

Noctis dropped his head and laughed. “Sorry.”

“For what?” Prompto turned to him.

Noctis glanced up at the sky, then back down to the ground. “I’m just trying to be normal. Joking around and all that. Like, the same as before?”

“Yeah,” Prompto said. He smiled. “Good!”

“The thing is, I feel awkward sometimes.” Noctis looked up at him as Prompto took his hand. “Like, I don’t want you to think I’m trying to get something out of you.”

“Didn’t I already tell you to stop worrying about this?” Prompto pulled on Noctis’s arm and turned to lead them toward the cliff face. Noctis followed along, letting himself be guided over the sweltering, bleak rocks.

“You did,” Noctis agreed, after a few seconds of silence. “I guess it’ll just take time to get used to all of it.”

“Used to what?”

“Someone else knowing,” Noctis said. He paused before they reached earshot of Gladio and Ignis and tugged back on Prompto’s hand to get him to turn around. “And looking at what I say and do differently because of that.”

Prompto was silent.

“Do you?” Noctis asked. He looked down and stroked the back of Prompto’s hand with his thumb. “Look at me differently?”

“I—” Prompto broke off and looked down at Noctis’s hand in his.

“I can take the truth,” Noctis murmured.

“I do,” Prompto said slowly. Noctis’s thumb froze. “I do look at you differently.”

“It’s fine,” Noctis said, easing his hand out of Prompto’s. “I guess—I guess that’s natural.”

Prompto snapped his fingers shut around Noctis’s palm. Noctis glanced up at him in surprise.

“It’s okay,” Noctis said. “Really. I don’t blame you.”

“Noct, I’ve been thinking about a lot of stuff over the past few weeks. About stuff in general, about you—about myself. And then when you came out to me, that just got me thinking more.”

“Oh—” Noctis studied Prompto’s face. “I’m not sure what you’re saying.”

“Well, I guess what I’m saying is that I _have_ been looking at you differently since you told me you’re gay.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, looking at the ground and trying to pull his hand away once more.

“Wait,” Prompto said. “Please. It’s just that I don’t know how to tell you this.”

“Stop.” Noctis was blinking rapidly. “Can’t we just wait and see if things can be normal again? I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”

“What?” Prompto furrowed his brow.

Noctis wiped the tears from his eyes with the fingertips of his free hand. “I can’t, Prom. I feel like you’re the only person I have sometimes.”

“That’s how I feel, too,” Prompto murmured, stepping closer to Noctis.

His jaw worked as if he were debating whether to say what came next. “I know it’s pressure or guilt or whatever, but I can’t do all this without you. I know I can’t.”

“Noct, you’re worrying about something that’s never going to happen,” Prompto said, bringing Noctis’s hand away from his face and holding both of them between their bodies. “I’m not going anywhere. You already know that.”

“I’m not talking about doing your duty,” Noctis spat out. “I mean everything else we are.”

Prompto laughed. “Noct, I didn’t join the Crownsguard because I’d always dreamed of public service.”

“Oh really? You seemed like the student body president type in high school.”

“If I hadn’t been so busy messing around with you, maybe.”

“Yup, I lead you astray all the time.” Noctis sighed.

“It’s worked out for us so far,” Prompto said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to say. Like, I’ve been thinking about things recently, but not in a bad way. It’s just hard to put into words. And there’s been so much other stuff to deal with.”

“What’s taking you two so long?” Gladio yelled. His voice bounced around the amphitheater of stone.

Noctis cocked his head at the noise. “Plus, we never get time to ourselves.”

Prompto grinned. “Let’s change that soon. I think you might be interested in what I have to say.”

“Wow.” Noctis swallowed. “Um, I feel kind of nervous now.”

“That’s assuming I can finally spit it out,” Prompto said, shaking his head. “Come on, let’s go before we make him madder.”

Noctis stumbled as Prompto pulled him along with him, the cliffs around him rocking in the shimmering midday heat. Noctis stared down at the ground, feeling the onset of vertigo, trying to steady himself. He doubted this feeling was only due to the heat, but, as a means to steady his nerves, he told himself to have a drink of water once they stopped anyway.

“You feeling okay, Noct?” Ignis said, peering at him.

“Yeah,” Noctis said, letting go of Prompto’s hand. He reached to the side of his backpack to retrieve his bottle. “Yeah. Just need some water, I think.”

“Well, I have some bad news,” Gladio said. “There’s no way through this, and no trail up it. We’re going to have to climb the cliff face."

A pall of silence passed over the group.

“Uh,” Prompto piped up. “I guess I’ll ask the obvious question. How do we even do that?”

“Slowly. Carefully.” Gladio dragged his arm in an arc above them. “You see the bumps and cracks in the rock? There are plenty of them. I’ve already mapped out a path up to the top that’s pretty direct. We can stop and rest as we climb. It’s only ten metres or so.”

“Oh right, why didn’t you say that to begin with?” Prompto said sarcastically. “No biggie, then.”

“Afraid of heights, Prompto?” Ignis asked.

“Well duh, I’m not as tall as you,” he quipped. “I’ll just follow you guys and do what you do.”

“It’ll be over before you know it,” Gladio said. He pressed himself against the wall and began climbing.

“Just concentrate on the next step,” Ignis said. Once Gladio was several metres above them, Ignis reached up and began his climb.

“We got this,” Noctis said, rubbing Prompto’s back. “Just copy my moves.”

“You better not warp and leave me behind,” Prompto warned.

“Promise,” Noctis said, winking.

Noctis felt around the first knob of stone, then tested his weight once he had purchase. He climbed several steps before angling his head slightly down.

“Okay, come on,” he said to Prompto.

“Well, the first step seems easy,” Prompto said.

“That’s the spirit,” Ignis yelled down. “I’m already nearly at the top. It’s not long at all.”

Noctis moved several steps up, then stopped to rest. He judged that he was at the halfway point.

“Uh, Noct? I’m not seeing the next foothold.”

“It’s there, Prom. I can’t really show it to you right now.”

“Prompto?” Ignis called from the top. “What’s wrong?”

“Not sure where to move next!”

“That one was a little tricky,” Gladio said. “Can you see the crack in the rock to your left? It’s larger than it looks.”

“All I can see is Noct’s butt!”

“Enjoying the view?” Noctis said, grinning into the rock face.

“Please don’t make me laugh now, Noct,” Prompto said. “I don’t think I’ll be much use to you if I fall and break my legs.”

“Have you found it yet?” Ignis said worriedly.

“Yeah,” Prompto grunted, resuming his climb. “It was just harder to see than the other ones.”

“We’re almost there, Prom,” Noctis said. “I’m only two footholds from the ledge.”

“You know what would be a good idea,” Prompto muttered beneath him. “Is if we could get the Regalia to fly. Like those Imperial ships. I bet Aranea never has to climb up vertical mountains.”

“Dream on,” Noctis said. Gladio helped him onto the ledge. “Okay, Prom. Only a couple more steps and you’re there. Although,” he said, pausing. “You may not like what you see when you get here.”

“Well that’s great motivation,” Prompto said. He scaled the last two metres quickly. Noctis heaved him onto the rise, where he collapsed against the prince.

“You alright?” Noctis asked, searching his face.

“That wasn’t my favorite activity,” Prompto said. “But we have a world to save, I guess.”

“I have some bad news,” Noctis said, flicking his eyes to the right. Prompto turned to see another cliff face.

“This can’t be happening,” Prompto said, leaning his face into Noctis’s chest and groaning. Noctis pressed him closer and massaged his shoulders.

“A few minutes of a break, then we’ll resume,” Ignis said. “Anyone hungry? I might have some nuts and chocolate myself. You all have your fruits as well, don’t forget about them.”

“I’ll have some of that,” Gladio replied. “Let me just study this wall for a minute first.”

“How do people even hike here, Noct?” Prompto pulled his sopping wet hair to the side and looked up. “It’s like a thousand degrees, the entire path is filled with animals that attack on sight and there isn’t even a trail.”

“Don’t ask me,” Noctis said, shrugging. “I’m more of an indoor guy.”

Prompto snorted. “I guess all of Insomnia was indoors, in a way.”

“Huh. I’d never thought of it that way.” Noctis tilted his head as Prompto pulled away. “Something wrong?”

“Nah, you’re just really sweaty.”

Noctis frowned. “Probably half of it was from you.”

“Probably,” Prompto agreed with a smirk. “Feel like I’m wilting.”

“Come over here, you two,” Gladio called from the wall. Noctis and Prompto slunk toward him. “A lot of sunlight’s coming across that cliff above us. I think that means this is the last wall to climb.”

“It looks taller than the last one,” Prompto said skeptically.

“About the same size, I’d say,” Gladio said. “I see a path just as straightforward as before, too. Since we’ve all had practice, this one should be even easier.”

“Hey, maybe I can do this,” Prompto said, to an amused nod from Noctis.

Once Gladio had finished snacking, they made ready to scale the wall.

“Man,” Noctis said, mid-climb. “I’m burning up.”

“Take your shirt off,” Gladio suggested.

“What, like you?” Noctis asked, glancing up at the bare chest waiting for him on the cliff above. “I’m not enough of a beefcake, sorry.”

Gladio laughed, helping Ignis onto the ledge next to him. “Too scared to show your scrawny body?”

“Hey, I got muscle. You just can’t see it.” Noctis paused for a breather. “Give me some credit for climbing this cliff.”

“It can’t be that hard for you,” Gladio commented. “You’re the lightest, after all.”

“I’m going to kick your ass at our next sparring,” Noctis said, reaching the final handhold and raising his free arm. “Alright, help me up.”

“He was right, Prompto,” Noctis said. “No more cliffs. It looks like we’ve made it.”

“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Ignis said, looking at the map. “This part of the ascent may be over, but we still have to find the tomb.”

“My arms hate me right now,” Prompto wheezed, once Noctis had helped him up. He fell to the ground and panted. “Along with every other part of my body.”

“I think you’ll like this view, though,” Noctis said. He knelt down and crooked his arm, offering it to Prompto.

“More rocks? Let me get my camera ready,” Prompto grumbled. He leaned on Noctis and hobbled with him up the path, espying the runes of a haven. “What, a campsite? That’s the view?”

“Have a little faith,” Noctis laughed.

“Well, it’s not exactly a magic carpet ride, is it?”

“What’s that you like to tell me? Hold your chocobos?” Noctis helped him up the ramp of the haven. “I took a peek up here when you were still on the wall.”

They reached the top of the ramp, the view of Ravatogh’s massive central crater sprawling out before them in the cloudless afternoon. Noctis grinned into the rays of sunlight and threw his arm out in front of them, presenting the vista to Prompto.

“Wow,” Prompto said, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “You weren’t lying.”

“One can almost understand why one of the kings of Lucis wished to be buried here,” Ignis commented, as he and Gladio walked up behind them.

“Wouldn’t go that far,” Gladio said. “Doesn’t seem very future proof, either. What if an eruption had buried the royal arm? That would sort of put a kink in the Crystal’s plans.”

“Please don’t bury me anywhere ridiculous when the time comes,” Noctis said. “Just a normal graveyard is fine.”

“We’ve got many decades until then,” Ignis said. “Although, if you’re serious about this, we’ll have to commit it to writing and then file it in the royal archives. Otherwise it may not be honored after your death.”

“I can always count on you to think of the practicalities,” Noctis said dryly.

“Let’s keep moving,” Gladio said. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

“Just let me get this shot!” Prompto said, lying on his belly to capture a wide view of the crater.

“Careful,” Noctis said, squatting down beside him and placing his hand on his back. “I don’t think we can find another camera if you drop that one.”

“What do you think that camera strap you gave me does, silly?” Prompto said, concentrating on his photograph. “Stop pestering me, you’ll blur the picture.”

“Guess you’ve been put in your place,” Gladio said.

“The artist needs his focus,” Noctis said, smiling down at Prompto. “Is that the path forward?”

“Indeed,” Ignis said. “Hopefully we can use it to return here, if necessary. This could be a place to camp for the night.”

“I still think we can make it to the bottom before it’s completely dark,” Gladio said. “Well, as long as we find a different way than those cliffs.”

“Ready!” Prompto said, springing up and slapping Noctis on the rear. The prince looked at him and winked.

“You’re doing that more than usual today,” Ignis observed.

“What? No I’m not,” Prompto said, his cheeks turning red.

“Oh? I must be mistaken, then,” Ignis said. He adjusted the straps of his backpack and stood up. “Let’s make tracks.”

They walked along the winding trail carefully, stopping to dispatch a group of giant wasps at the first clearing.

“So Noct,” Prompto said, releasing his gun. “What kind of weapon do you think it’ll be?”

“Dunno,” Noctis said. “What kind of weapon would a man who wanted to be buried in a volcano use?”

“A hammer?” Prompto said. Noctis looked at him quizzically. “Maybe he was a blacksmith.”

“I won’t lie to you,” Noctis said, stepping over a pile of stones in the path. “If we’ve done all this for a hammer I’ll be pretty disappointed.”

“Another drop,” Ignis called from in front of them. “We’ll slide down, but I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get back up.”

“Are those—eggs?” Gladio said. “They’re enormous.”

“Hopefully the mother won’t be back anytime soon,” Noctis said. Ignis and Gladio started their slide down into the nest. “Think it’s one of those things we saw when we got those gems way back when?”

“Uh, what?” Prompto scratched his neck.

“For that scamming journalist guy.”

“Oh yeah, Dino,” Prompto said. He paused and looked at Noctis. “Hey, what do you think of him?”

Noctis put his hands on his hips. “What do you mean, what do I think of him? He’s a con artist.”

“Well, he’s not bad looking, right?” Prompto stroked his chin and looked up at the sky. “Good hair, too.”

“Oh please,” Noctis said, his eyes narrowing. “You could do so much better. If you were into that, I mean.”

“Jealous?” Prompto teased. “I’m just trying to help you, you know.”

Noctis’s face flushed. “Of course I’m not jealous. Don’t be stupid.”

Prompto grinned at him silently, searching his face.

“What? Stop looking at me like that.”

“As His Majesty commands,” Prompto said. He gave Noctis a wink and stepped over the lip of the fall, sliding down to the nest below. Once he had cleared the landing area, Noctis jumped down after him.

“Another fall here,” Ignis pointed out. “And let’s not disturb those eggs.”

“I was just taking a picture, don’t worry.” Prompto followed the other three down the slope and into the crater’s expanse.

“So,” Prompto said, drawing out the word.

“What’s with that smug look on your face?” Noctis demanded.

“Well, now we know you’re not into Dino.” Prompto bumped against him with his shoulder and spoke, his voice low, into his ear. “So what kinds of guys are you into?”

“Wh—What?” Noctis stammered. “What’s it to you?”

“Just curious,” Prompto said, raising his camera to the southwestern slope and its procession of fairy chimneys. “You know, what guy’s your type?”

“Well, I guess it’s only fair. I already know your type is any girl with vital signs.”

“You’re not going to derail me with cheap shots, mister.” Prompto nudged him again. “Answer the question.”

“Can’t we do this another time? What if Gladio and Ignis overhear?”

“They’re way in front of us!” Prompto sidled up to him. “You can whisper it to me if you like.”

“I’m mostly interested in the other guy’s personality,” Noctis mumbled.

“Oh please,” Prompto said. “How naïve do you think I am? We’re talking about what makes you hard, not discussing marriage.”

“Prom!” Noctis looked at him, his eyes wide, his face blazing in the beating sun. “You’re so dirty.”

“It’s just a bodily function. We both get them.” Prompto shrugged. “Huh, I’m starting to sound like Aranea.”

“I think I’m feeling symptoms of heat stroke,” Noctis complained.

“Fine, you don’t have to tell me,” Prompto sighed, handing him his bottle of water. “You’ll crack eventually, though.”

“Really,” Noctis said, between gulps. “I kept it hidden from everyone for twenty years, but you think I’ll give up any secrets you want just because you say so.”

“You want to tell me,” Prompto said confidently. “You’re just too embarrassed.”

“I, I—” Noctis shook his head and started jogging toward Gladio and Ignis. “You’re too much.”

“Hey!” Prompto yelled after him. “Slow down! What about the heat stroke?”

Noctis jogged on unheedingly, ignoring the jape in Prompto’s voice.

“I recognize these rock formations from their photos,” Gladio was saying. “Maybe the tomb is further up along this path around the mountain.”

“Great, more walking,” Noctis said.

“It’s a much more forgiving path than the last one,” Ignis said. “How are we, Noct? Your cheeks are red. Have you been drinking adequate water?”

“I’m fine,” Noctis said, flicking his hand away. “Prompto was just giving me shit.”

“I heard my name!” Prompto said, jumping up onto the path with them. “You found the tomb yet?”

“We think it’s that way,” Noctis pointed.

“What are we waiting for, then?”

“Someone’s energized,” Gladio said. “Not about to keel over anymore, I take it?”

“Nah, Noct perked me up.” Prompto squeezed Noctis’s shoulder.

“News to me,” Noctis muttered.

They walked along the path, concentrating on the uneven footing in silence.

“I see something shiny!” Prompto said.

“Here we go,” Gladio said. “Can we put off scrounging around for trinkets until we’ve found what we came here for?”

“No, I mean up ahead. Is that metal?”

“I do believe that’s a door,” Ignis said. “Good eyes, Prompto.”

The entrance to the tomb was nearly at the edge of the cliff. They gathered around it as Noctis fiddled with the key in the lock.

“Don’t look down, Prompto,” Gladio advised.

“You know, saying that only makes me more nervous.” Prompto grabbed Noctis’s waist. “Come on, Noct.”

“Ah!” Noctis jumped at the sudden touch. “You want me to break the key? This lock is old and like, deformed or something.”

It finally clicked open, the mausoleum greeting them with a wave of cool, musty air.

“That feels nice,” Prompto murmured.

“What do we have here?” Gladio said, looking down at the sarcophagus.

“Oh my Shiva, I was right!” Prompto said, snapping a picture of Noctis laying his palm on the king’s hands. “A hammer!”

“I think it may actually be a mace,” Ignis corrected, as the weapon transfigured into energy and impaled the prince.

“Ouch,” Prompto said. “That always looks painful.”

“It is,” Noctis said quietly. The royal arms orbited him like planets around a star. “Just for a moment, though.”

“Job done,” Ignis said, as the lights faded, the tomb pitch black once more. “Let’s head back.”

“I wanted to look around up here more before going down,” Prompto said as they walked to the door. “Who knows when I’ll have a chance to take photographs from the top of Ravatogh again?”

“Gladio?” Ignis said.

He shrugged. “We found the tomb pretty quickly. Probably can take a break for half an hour or so. Plus, I have to look around for our descent path anyway.”

“Don’t wander too far off,” Ignis warned, Noctis and Prompto already breaking off on their own. “And don’t get too close to the edge, the rocks may be unstable.”

“I wouldn’t have minded staying in the shade longer,” Prompto said, once they’d gotten back to the crater.

“Yeah,” Noctis said. “Somehow it feels even hotter now than it did at noon.”

“This ground is parched,” Prompto observed, kicking at the cracks in the crater’s soil. “Does it never rain here?”

“It probably evaporates as soon as it hits the surface,” Noctis said. “I don’t see any plants around.”

“I saw some weeds back there, so some stuff can grow up here.” Prompto motioned Noctis’s shadow out of the way of his photograph of claw marks in the ground, each indentation large enough for one of them to fit within. “I really don’t want to come across the thing this belongs to.”

“Hey, it probably tastes good,” Noctis said.

“Of course you would think of that.” Prompto grinned behind his lens.

“I’m burning up,” Noctis whined. He pulled at Prompto’s shirt. “Let’s find some shade.”

“Hmm.” Prompto surveyed the area. “Looks like there’s some shade under that rock overhang.”

“Almost looks like a cave,” Noctis said. “That stupid bird thing better not be in there.”

They walked into the cool dark; Noctis breathed a sigh of relief. Prompto turned around for another picture.

“These views are great,” he said. He crouched down and stepped backwards slowly. “I can almost fit the entire crater in this shot.”

Noctis looked out at the spire of Ravatogh above the crater. “Yup, pretty amazing.”

“Oh shit,” Prompto said abruptly. “Ah! Noct!”

There was a scrabbling sound, then the din of falling rocks and dirt as Prompto slid down into the darkness.

“Prom?” Noctis turned around and fell to his knees over the abyss. “Prompto!”

“Noct?”

“Are you okay?” Noctis peered down; Prompto’s voice sounded closer than he’d expected. “Don’t move, I’m coming down.”

“I think you can slide down,” Prompto called up to him. “Just be careful that you don’t tumble.”

Noctis brought his legs together, then eased himself off the ledge. He slid elegantly for several metres before one of his feet hit a rock and he spun several times before hitting the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust in the faint light filtering in from the cavern entrance.

“Ugh,” Noctis groaned.

“Noct.” Prompto was leaning over him, shaking his arm. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

“I think I hit a rock.” He rolled onto his back and spread out his arms. “Good thing it was too dark for you to take a picture.”

“Says who?”

Noctis opened his eyes to see Prompto’s white teeth set in a roguish grin. “Good to know that even when I could have broken my neck, you’re still thinking of the compromising photos you might get out of it.”

“You’re really not hurt, then?”

“Oh, I feel just great,” Noctis said dryly. “Help me up.”

Prompto yanked his arm. After Noctis had found his footing, Prompto scrutinized him.

“What?” Noctis said, annoyed.

“Your hair’s covered in dirt,” Prompto said. “At least now I know what you’d look like with brown highlights.”

“How does it look?” Noctis asked, as they started walking toward the light.

“Not bad,” Prompto said. “Have you ever considered blond, though?”

Noctis snorted. “A blond night? I’m not interested in copying you.”

“Leave the puns to Iggy,” Prompto said, elbowing him.

They reached the mouth of the cave and blinked in the sun.

“Nice breeze,” Prompto said, stretching his arms high above him and swiveling his head. “Fresh air.”

“Oh, fuck this,” Noctis said, looking down at his shirt. On top of still being soaked with sweat, it was now covered in dirt and grime as well.

“What’s wrong?”

Noctis raised his arms above his head, pulling his sticky shirt off. The warm breeze tickled his skin. He tucked half of the shirt in the seat of his pants, then looked up at Prompto. The blond was staring at him.

“Um, that shirt was just gross,” Noctis said. He paused and looked out at the panorama. Cleigne’s mist-strewn forests gave way to Duscae’s fecund grasslands, then the latter to the shimmering desert of Leide, from this remove nothing more than an orange line below the horizon. Embracing it all were the ultramarine waters of the southern ocean, resplendent in the late afternoon.

Noctis rested his hands on his hips and smiled at Prompto. “Hey, the view’s incredible.”

Prompto shook his head. “Still as full of yourself as always, huh?”

“What? I was talking about the actual view.” Noctis placed his hand on Prompto’s chin and turned it to face the outlook.

“Oh,” Prompto said. “Yeah, I noticed it before. I was going to mention it—”

“But then you got distracted?”

“Like I’ve never seen you shirtless before?” Prompto said defensively, blushing.

“Sorry,” Noctis said. “It was just a joke.”

“Right,” Prompto said. He sat down against a boulder and opened his backpack. “Not sure why I snapped at you. I think I just need to eat something.”

Noctis leaned back against the boulder next to him. Their bare arms touched; Prompto began blinking rapidly as he searched through his bag.

“Makes it almost worth the hike, huh?” Noctis said, jutting his chin out at the world below them.

“Ask me that when we’re back in a soft bed,” Prompto grumbled.

Noctis laughed. “What you got in there? I could use a snack too.”

“Apricots,” Prompto said. “I think Iggy and Gladio have most of the rest of the food.”

“Apricots sound good,” Noctis said, leaning over Prompto’s shoulder to peer into the pack. Prompto felt goosebumps raising on his neck and arms at the touch of Noctis’s hot, wet skin. “Can I have one?”

“Sure,” Prompto said softly. He pulled two apricots from his bag and handed the larger one to Noctis. Prompto bit into his and contemplated the view of the continent, wondering if he could make out anything of Insomnia.

“Shit,” Noctis said. Prompto glanced to his right and stared. Apricot juice was flowing down Noctis’s lightly sunburnt neck, trickling past his chocolate nipples, pooling in the deep valleys of his abs and navel.

“What…” Prompto trailed off, his mouth slack.

“Damn it. Do you have any napkins?” He narrowed his eyes at the golden fruit. “I think this one was too ripe. Or got knocked around in your bag or something.”

Prompto handed his fruit to Noctis and rose to his knees. He shuffled and swung his body over Noctis’s thigh, then sat between his legs, facing him.

“At least it tastes good,” Noctis murmured, an apricot in each hand. “Prom?”

“I bet it does,” Prompto said. He fixed his gaze on Noctis’s pupils and leaned toward him, placing his hands on either side of the prince’s narrow waist. “Can I taste it?”

Noctis’s eyes darted around Prompto’s face before settling on his lips. “Ah, well, you can have mine if you want.”

“That sounds good,” Prompto whispered. He tilted his face under Noctis’s chin, then pushed his tongue forward to his throat. Prompto licked along the path of Noctis’s Adam’s apple as it bobbed wildly, the prince finally letting out a gentle moan.

“You’re right,” Prompto said. “It’s sweet. Tastes good after all this hiking.”

“Prompto,” Noctis murmured, craning his head forward to look down at him. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t have any napkins, Noct,” Prompto said, meeting his gaze before returning his attention to Noctis’s body. “We’ll just have to find another way to get you clean.”

“Fuck,” Noctis said, arching his back. Prompto’s mouth traced his collarbone and sternum before greedily descending on his chest. Noctis breathed in sharply as Prompto’s front teeth pulled at his erect nipple, his tongue lapping at the bumps of his areola.

“I must have spilled more than I realized,” Noctis said.

“I can’t stop until you’re all clean, Noct,” Prompto said. His hot breath traveled slowly down the prince’s long alabaster torso. “What kind of friend would I be if I did that?”

“I must be dreaming,” Noctis said, his eyes wide. “Seriously.”

“Looks like a lot of it ran down here,” Prompto said, his tongue flicking at the grooves of Noctis’s abs. “It’s a little salty from your sweat, now.”

“Fuck,” Noctis repeated. His eyes screwed shut in ecstasy. “This can’t be happening.”

“You ready to tell me now, Noct?”

Noctis gasped as Prompto’s tongue reached his navel; the blond was making lewd sucking sounds. “Tell—tell you what?”

“Tell me about your type, Noct. What’s your dream guy?” Prompto nuzzled the trail of hair just above the prince’s pants button. “And you can save the personality stuff for later.”

“Pretty eyes,” Noctis said, meeting Prompto’s gaze. “Not as dark as mine, though.”

“Mhm,” Prompto agreed. “What else?”

“Nice arms,” Noctis added. He dropped the apricots in his hands to the ground and wrapped his fingers around Prompto’s biceps, lavishing them with attention. “Really nice arms; ones that I can fall asleep in.”

Prompto rose up, finished with his task, and brought his face close to Noctis’s. “Go on.”

“A hot butt,” Noctis said, with a tinge of embarrassment. Seeing Prompto’s smile, he reached forward to cup his buttocks with both hands. “One that looks good in everything.”

“Anything else?” Prompto murmured, his lips closing in.

“Blond hair,” Noctis blurted out. Prompto’s eyes were already shut, but his mouth smiled. “I’ve got a thing for a certain blond, you see—”

His words were cut off by the pressure of Prompto’s lips, the tangy taste of apricots and sweat. Prompto’s mouth smacked against his as the blond drew back several times, savoring the moment, only to return with renewed enthusiasm each time. Noctis wrapped his hands firmly around Prompto’s rear as the kiss lingered on.

“I told you you’d crack,” Prompto whispered into his ear.

Noctis’s face reddened. “Well, you have a real talent for getting me to do what you want.”

“What about you?” Prompto said, leaning back, sitting up. A breeze fluttered his yellow hair. “Is this what _you_ want?”

“More than anything,” Noctis said. “You don’t know how much. It’s just—”

“What?” Prompto asked, furrowing his brow.

“Well, I don’t want to look a gift chocobo in the mouth, but aren’t you, like, straight?”

Prompto let out a laugh that echoed in the caves and arches around them. “Did I seem straight just now?”

“That’s why I’m confused,” Noctis said, scratching his hair. “You never told me you—I mean I never would’ve expected you to—”

“What’s the point of this, Noct?” Prompto said. “It felt right, didn’t it? Felt natural?”

“Gods, yes,” Noctis said.

“Then let’s save the labels for later.” Prompto grinned. “Or never.”

Noctis clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back into the rock. “I can live with that.”

Prompto looked off at the path down the mountain. “Well, I guess we finally got the time to ourselves we wanted.”

“To talk, of course,” Noctis laughed.

“I think we communicated excellently just now,” Prompto said. “Turns out that tongue of yours can do more than make sarcastic remarks.”

“You did all the work,” Noctis said. “Fuck, that was hot.”

“How about one more,” Prompto said, bending down. “You know, while they haven’t found us yet.”

Noctis tilted his chin up to accept the kiss, placing his hands more modestly at Prompto’s waist. After a few seconds, Prompto pulled back and looked Noctis in the eye, letting out a long, rising giggle.

“What?” Noctis asked, his face burning. “Did I do something wrong? Do I smell?”

“No!” Prompto said, still laughing. He placed both of his hands into Noctis’s. “Don’t worry. I was just remembering something Aranea said.”

“I’m not enough for you, am I?” Noctis teased.

Prompto shushed him. “She said something like, the heat between you two is like the Rock of Ravatogh. But I don’t think she meant it literally.”

“Well, I am pretty hot right now,” Noctis said, his eyes slowly traveling down Prompto’s body. “Aren’t you?”

“I guess,” Prompto said coyly.

“It’s cooler with your shirt off,” Noctis purred.

“I bet,” Prompto said, thumbing the hem of his tank top.

“Noct! Prompto!” Gladio’s voice reverberated in the boulders around them. “Are you out here?”

“Over here!” Prompto called.

“Noct!” Gladio said, jogging up to them. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“No,” Noctis said, frowning at the interruption. “Why would I be hurt?”

“You’re just lying back with your shirt off. I thought you might have a wound.”

“Can’t a guy relax with his shirt off?”

Gladio’s eyes turned to Prompto, who was still sitting between Noctis’s legs, then back to Noctis’s bare, flushed chest.

“I fell down a hole,” Prompto explained. “Noct followed me. Then we sat out here and ate apricots.”

“You didn’t get very far,” Gladio said, eyeing the two half-finished fruits on the ground beside Noctis. “I guess you found something more interesting to do.”

Rather than protest, the two of them looked away silently.

“Right, well Ignis went the other way, so I’m going to go find him and let him know I’ve located you two. Don’t leave this spot.”

Prompto watched him walk off down the trail. “I wonder if he noticed anything.”

“He’d have to be pretty dense not to, Prom,” Noctis said. “Besides, I don’t care if he knows now.”

“What, really?” Prompto said, steadying himself against Noctis’s thigh.

“It’s so much easier now that I’ve told you.” Noctis turned and watched Gladio’s form, now tiny, vanish into the distance. “Easier to imagine telling everyone, I mean.”

“Well, whenever you decide to tell people—I’m on your side, Noct. No matter what.”

“I know you are,” Noctis said. He reached for Prompto’s hand. “You’re the greatest.”

“I guess we can’t really eat them now, can we?” Prompto frowned.

Noctis looked down at the apricots. “There wasn’t anywhere to put them. And I needed my hands.”

“No kidding. I think my butt’s still sore from all that pressing and squeezing.”

Noctis arched his eyebrows at him. “Get used to that feeling.”

“Who’s the dirty one now?” Prompto said, sticking his tongue out at him.

“Hey, I know.” Noctis stood and scooped up the two fruits, then handed one to Prompto. “We can plant them.”

Prompto looked around. “Noct, I don’t think anything can grow here. Do you see any other plants?”

“Don’t you remember what I promised you this morning? I said we would plant trees everywhere.” Noctis clasped his hand against Prompto’s waist and pulled him near. “Couldn’t this place use more greenery?”

“Yeah. Let’s go for it, then,” Prompto said. He bent down and dug into the dirt next to the boulder, choosing a spot within the indentation of Noctis’s body.

“I shouldn’t put mine too close,” Noctis said, walking several steps away before leaning down to dig. “They’ll need room when they grow up.”

Once they had both finished covering the pits with a thin layer of soil, Prompto poured into his bottle cap and sprinkled a few drops of water over each one.

“Okay, little guys,” Prompto said to the apricots. “You were there for our first kiss, so you can’t die!”

“Gods,” Noctis said, shaking his head. “Don’t make me cringe.”

“Don’t listen to him. Become tall and strong, and one day we’ll visit you and see how you’ve grown.”

“That I can agree to,” Noctis said. “We’ll save the world, then come back and spend a day here.”

“Reminisce?”

“And reenact, hopefully,” Noctis said, giving him a wink.

Gladio was walking up the trail again. He gave a wave of his arm, beckoning them toward him; to the journey back down to the surface.

“One more for posterity,” Prompto said, facing his camera towards them and pulling Noctis into his shoulder. He looked back at the limitless land, sea and sky; at Noctis’s boundless smile. The story he’d always told himself was that his life had been a long search for companionship, for belonging. Looking at Noctis in that moment, he wondered for how long he had wanted the same thing. Just before opening the shutter, he leaned across the shot and gave Noctis’s lips a quick, tender kiss.


	23. Safe II

“There she is,” Ignis said. The four of them slowed to a tired stroll as the Regalia came into view, bright black under the outpost’s floodlights. “Right where we left her.”

“We really should change up the paint job,” Prompto said, raising his fingers to his chin.

“Tired of black?” Noctis asked. His hand searched for Prompto’s free one, slipping in effortlessly. “Want some more color in your world?”

“Maybe orange,” Prompto suggested.

“Orange?” Ignis scoffed. “That would look ridiculous.”

“Light orange with streaks of gold. Like an apricot.” Prompto looked at Noctis and bit his bottom lip.

Noctis smirked and looked away. They reached the car; Prompto released Noctis’s hand as Gladio opened the trunk.

“Just what I want people to think when they see me driving by,” Gladio said, handing items back to each of them. “Hey Iggy, what’s for dinner? Looks like that restaurant’s already closed for the night.”

“Indeed. It is past nine.” Ignis crossed his arms to think until Gladio shoved a bag of cooking supplies at his chest.

“Store’s still open,” Prompto said. “Maybe we could get something there?”

“I’ll think on it,” Ignis said, as Noctis and Prompto began walking toward the campsite. “I need to have a look through the ingredients we already have.”

“Iggy,” Gladio said, eyeing the other two as they crossed the street, their hands intertwined again. “You think there’s something, uh, going on between Prompto and Noct?”

Ignis flinched. “This is a bit out of the blue.”

“Really? I was asking myself why I’d never noticed anything before.” Gladio rummaged through the trunk, making sure they hadn’t forgotten to unpack anything.

“Before what?”

“Remember when they wandered off at the crater? I think I caught them in the act when I found them.”

“Oh dear.” Ignis removed his glasses and cleaned them with his handkerchief.

“Don’t panic, it wasn’t like that. I didn’t see any dicks.”

“How relieved I am,” Ignis said dryly.

“It was just the vibe. I definitely interrupted something.”

“You seem awfully sure,” Ignis said, hefting his bags and beginning to walk.

“I wouldn’t be, if it were just that. But they were holding hands on the hike down.”

“Well, that’s hardly proof.”

Gladio slammed the trunk shut and jogged to catch up to Ignis. “And I saw them kissing when I called for them to come walk down the mountain.”

Ignis stopped walking in the middle of the road and smiled. “I suppose you’re right, then.”

“You don’t seem all that surprised,” Gladio said, scrutinizing Ignis’s pleased expression.

“I’ve noticed things here and there,” Ignis admitted. “I tried to raise the topic of him and Prompto with Noct a while back, but he immediately pushed me away.”

“I’m guessing you bumbled into it and said something that embarrassed him.”

Ignis scoffed. “I’d like to see you broach the subject with enough finesse to get him to instantly pour his heart out. Anyone who could manage such a feat of diplomacy deserves an immediate promotion to the Council of Ministers.”

“No need to get snippy.” Gladio grabbed Ignis’s arm just before they reached earshot of Noctis and Prompto. “So, what should I say?”

“What?” Ignis frowned. “Why say anything?”

“You’ve changed your tune. Weren’t you just saying that you already tried talking to Noct?”

“Indeed. And I’m still not sure whether I did more to harm than help.”

“It’s better if it’s all in the open,” Gladio declared, after a moment of consideration. “Let’s just tell them we know and that we’re fine with it.” He strode off toward the campsite.

“Let’s hope you’re right,” Ignis said under his breath, following him.

“Don’t worry about dinner,” Noctis said from one of the camping chairs, his eyes shut. “I could crash right here.”

“You can stay awake long enough to eat,” Ignis chided. “Surely you must be ravenous after that hike.”

“The fatigue is winning out,” Noctis mumbled.

“We’re all tired,” Gladio said, fitting several long tent poles together. “Come and help me set this up so it can be done sooner.”

Noctis let out a loud sigh and stood up, then staggered to where Gladio was crouched.

“Save the theatrics,” Gladio said gruffly. “Start unwinding those ropes. After that, move the weights to the corners of the tarp.”

“Yes sir,” Noctis grumbled.

They worked in silence. Ignis looked up from the foodstuffs he’d laid out on the camping stove to glance at Prompto. He was wrapped in his blanket next to the cold firepit, watching the prince with a look of contentment.

“A moment, Prompto?” Ignis called.

“What’s up, Iggy?” Prompto hopped over to him, his blanket still around his shoulders.

“I think I’ll make a green curry. I have all the spices I need, as well as onions, carrots, potatoes, celery—and rice, of course.”

“Alright!” Prompto gave Ignis a fist pump. “Green curry’s one of my favs.”

“I like it as well,” Ignis said. “Will you go to Verinas Mart and find some meat there? The kind doesn’t matter, just get whatever they have.”

“No meat too weird?” Prompto asked. “You sure Noct will eat it?”

“Bizarrely, he seems perfectly willing to put any sort of animal in his mouth, despite turning his nose up at the most familiar green bits on his plate.” Ignis looked over at the prince. “I dare say, the weirder the better.”

“You got it!”

“No, those would be his guidelines. For my part, I’d like something one could at least find at a restaurant in the Crown City. It’s more likely then that I’ll know how to cook it.”

Prompto nodded, then walked over to where Noctis was standing. He clasped his hand on the prince’s waist and pulled their bodies together; Noctis placed his hand over Prompto’s. They exchanged a look and a few words, their faces mere inches apart. Ignis and Gladio watched them, then glanced at each other.

“It’s just meat, Iggy,” Prompto said, jumping down onto the ramp and walking toward the outpost. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m beginning to rethink this,” Ignis said to himself. He looked down at the chopping board, then filled a tub with bottled water and began washing vegetables.

“Do it correctly!” Gladio shouted. Ignis turned to look at the two of them. “Don’t just stick them together like limp noodles. You want the roof to fall on us in the middle of the night?”

“Why are you on my case so much? You’re getting on my nerves.”

“Well excuse me, princess,” Gladio said. “I’ll do the rest of this, just clear off.”

Noctis crossed his arms and walked over to Ignis.

“He only does it poorly because he knows he’ll get out of it,” Ignis called to Gladio, receiving a grunt in response.

“Don’t tell him that,” Noctis said. “He might not have caught on for a while longer if not for you.”

“Lucky you, Noct,” Ignis said. “Now you get to help me peel vegetables.”

“What? What are you making?” Noctis narrowed his eyes at him.

“Curry,” Ignis said. “Now get started on those carrots and potatoes.”

Noctis shrugged. “Could be worse.”

“Now I know something’s wrong,” Ignis said, running his knife over an onion half. “No complaints about plants in your food?”

“I’m in a good mood,” Noctis said, smiling down at the tub of wet produce.

“You _are_ beaming,” Ignis observed. “You have been since we began the descent. And hardly a complaint! It was heavenly.”

“Do I really complain that much?”

Ignis stopped chopping and peered at Noctis over his glasses. “Do you really want me to answer this?”

“Okay, okay,” Noctis said. He slowly stroked the carrot in his hand with the vegetable peeler.

Ignis finished chopping the onion and turned to watch the prince work, waiting for his eyes to clear up. “For one so singularly skilled with a sword, you’re terribly clumsy at that.”

“I nicked my finger with it the last time you asked me to do this, remember? Trying not to repeat that, it wasn’t pleasant.”

“It’s just a matter of practice. I was hopeless in the kitchen when I first started cooking.” Ignis extended his hand over the frying pan to check the heat. “There were numerous times I thought of giving it all up.”

“What, really?” Noctis handed him a finished carrot and looked up at him. “But you’re so good at it.”

“My thanks. But perhaps you were too young to notice my less successful attempts years back. There was one time, when I was fifteen or so, when I’d tried to make a cream sauce that turned out horribly clumpy.”

“I don’t remember that,” Noctis said.

“You wouldn’t. I never served it to you. It didn’t go entirely to waste, however.”

Noctis raised his eyebrows at him.

“His Majesty happened to be passing by the kitchens at the time and saw me through the door. He walked in, smiling, and asked to taste my newest creation.”

Noctis chuckled. “Oh man.”

“I tried every possible excuse to get out of it. My face must have been as red as a rolanberry. His smile never slipped, and I eventually had to acquiesce to him trying it.”

“What happened?”

“I recall a confused expression, likely as the clumps of flour settled on his tongue, then a pat on the back and something like ‘Insomnia wasn’t built in a day.’”

“That sounds like him.” Noctis smiled and picked up a potato.

“Needless to say, that gave me a great deal of motivation to improve. Whenever I cooked, I did it with the possibility in the back of my mind that your father would walk through the swinging doors at any moment, demanding to partake of my latest dish.”

Noctis paused the movement of his hand and turned the potato over. “Did he ever come back?”

“He did, from time to time. It became less frequent as I got older. And he did.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, gouging an eye from the potato. “He started moving less and less in the last few years. I think he was in pain, but he always told me he wasn’t.”

“Of course he denied it,” Gladio said, standing up from the campfire. “He didn’t want to worry you.”

“Right, and I was too stupid to notice. That what you’re saying?”

“The tent’s up and the fire’s started,” Gladio said, ignoring him. “Need me for anything? I might go use the restroom at the store if not.”

Ignis tapped his wooden spoon against the frying pan several times, his eyes staring straight forward into the night. He clicked the burner off. “Gladio, perhaps now would be a good time to talk to Noct.”

Noctis stood up and looked between them. “What do you mean, talk to me? That sounds ominous.”

“It isn’t.” Ignis turned around and walked over to one of the chairs. “But I sense some tension between you two, and it would be good to talk it out. Gladio mentioned to me earlier that he wanted a quiet word.”

Gladio held out his hand to one of the chairs. Once Noctis was seated, he took one for himself.

Noctis stared at the two of them, then looked around. “What’s taking Prompto so long?”

Ignis looked at Gladio. “He’s actually what we’d like to talk to you about.”

“Why? Is he okay?”

“Noct, you must have noticed by now that I’ve been dropping hints about—well, about your sexuality.” Ignis examined his fingernails.

The prince’s face blanched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Apologies, Noct. I was trying to help, though maybe not in the most graceful way.” He removed his spectacles and closed his eyes. “Perhaps I should have stayed well out of it.”

Gladio shook his head at Ignis. “Why beat around the bush?”

“You take the lead, then,” Ignis said tiredly.

“Are you and Prompto together? Are the two of you gay?” Gladio fixed his gaze on Noctis and waited for his response.

Noctis balled his fists, staring him down. “How’s that any of your business?”

“I guess it’s not.” Gladio shrugged. “But why hide it? Are you ashamed?”

“We want to help, Noct. This isn’t because we’re mad at you. You can be honest with us.”

“This—” Noctis stood up. “You’re ambushing me. I don’t like this.”

“I saw you two kissing,” Gladio said. “Up on the mountain. And holding hands on the way down. I don’t know why I didn’t notice it earlier. How long’s it been going on?”

“Gladio!” Ignis yelled. “Ease off a bit.”

“Why—” Noctis wiped the tears from his eyes, his voice breaking. “Why are you doing this? Can’t you just leave me alone?”

Ignis stood up and moved to Noctis’s side, enveloping him in his arms. Noctis grasped at his shoulders. Gladio began to speak again, but Noctis shouted at the top of his lungs as soon as he heard his voice.

“It’s alright, Noct,” Ignis said, stroking his back. He rocked him by the fire and waited for Noctis’s breathing to return to a calmer pace. “Your orientation doesn’t matter one whit to me. And why should it?”

Ignis glanced at Gladio, who nodded to him, before continuing.

“I should have told you that long before now; I shouldn’t have assumed you were straight. I wish I had been there for you.” Ignis felt himself choking up and took a moment to collect himself. “You must have felt so alone all these years.”

“You don’t know how much,” Noctis said softly.

“I don’t. The thought of what you’ve had to bear on your own makes me profoundly sad.” Ignis stepped back to look into Noctis’s eyes. “I’m truly sorry. Know that you can confide in me about anything, at any time, and I will be there for you.”

Noctis shook his head. “I should have known. There were times when it got to be too much and I almost told you. But I was scared of what you’d think. Scared you’d leave.”

“Let us recommit to trusting each other completely,” Ignis said. He held out his hand to Noctis. “From this day forward.”

“Deal,” Noctis said, grasping his hand warmly and smiling.

“Noct,” Gladio said.

“Yeah?” Noctis looked at him. “Sorry if I overreacted. You just caught me by surprise, you know?”

“I came on too strong,” Gladio said. “But I’m a straightforward person. You know that.”

“But I can choose what I want to tell you,” Noctis said. “And when.”

“Of course. I’d never disagree with that.” Gladio scratched his cheek. “But you have to expect that with the four of us traveling together, Iggy and I would figure out what was going on at some point. And then want to know the situation.”

“Prompto and I only kissed today,” Noctis said bluntly. “I’ve known I was gay since I was a kid. Since before I even met you, probably, though I didn’t know the word yet then. I don’t know about Prompto, you’ll have to ask him. That enough information for you?”

“I’m on your side, Noct,” Gladio said slowly. “You may not always think so, but I am.”

“I know,” Noctis said. He gazed into the fire and ground a pebble under his foot into the ground.

“I want you to tell me things so that I know what’s going on with you. So I know how to protect you. So I know how to keep you safe.” Gladio stood up and looked across the campfire at him. “It’s not for my personal interest. This is a massive part of who you are.”

“I would have told you eventually,” Noctis said. He looked up. “I’m glad it’s out in the open now, though. For better or worse, I don’t have to worry about how I’ll come out to you two now.”

“For the better, without a doubt,” Ignis said, walking back to the stove. “Where is Prompto? I’m beginning to worry.”

“I’ll look for him,” Noctis volunteered.

“Hang on,” Gladio said, holding his arm as he walked past. “I think it’s for the best if we’re the only four who know about this for now.”

Noctis shook him off. “Why?”

“You’re the presumptive king of Lucis. Something like this could be used against you by your enemies. At the very least we should wait until you’re coronated to reveal this beyond a select few.”

“Run and hide,” Noctis said, his eyes flickering in anger. “I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. Fuck that.”

“Noct,” Gladio said. “You’re the last heir of the Lucis Caelums. People will expect you to get married, have children. Only your bloodline can interact with the Crystal. We can figure out the details later, but for now you should pretend—”

“No!” Noctis yelled.

“I think you should consider what Gladio’s saying, Noct,” Ignis said. “It’s certainly not ideal, but a king must bend to pragmatism at times. Perhaps we could simply carry forward your engagement to Lady Lunafreya as a—a cover, for now.”

Noctis shook his head. “This is twisted.”

“Hey!” Prompto jogged up to the haven and doubled over, panting. “Sorry that took so long.”

“Prompto, what happened?” Ignis looked him over. “And where’s the meat?”

“Oh, it’s right here,” Prompto said, unzipping his backpack. “Fresh, too.”

Ignis wrinkled his nose. “I beg your pardon?”

Prompto handed Ignis a blood-splotched plastic bag. “It’s wyvern.”

“You hunted a dragon for dinner?” Noctis walked up to him. “Damn, Prom.”

“Okay, so what happened was, I’m walking up to Verinas Mart when I hear this loud, high-pitched scream. I look around and hear more screaming and shouting, all coming from the hot springs.”

Noctis smirked. “Did someone have a wardrobe malfunction?”

“No, but I bet some of them pissed themselves.” Prompto said, zipping up his backpack and tossing it toward the tent. “A wyvern had wandered over from the foothills and was snapping at some of the patients.”

“Let me guess,” Noctis said. “Our hero raced in to save the day, blasting the fiend between the eyes with his shiny pistols from fifty metres, all in the pitch black of night?”

“Something like that,” Prompto said, grinning. “That thing took a lot of bullets before going down. You guys really didn’t hear anything?”

“We were having an involved discussion,” Ignis said.

“Huh. Hey, the best thing was, no one got hurt. I was there at just the right time.”

“Quite the knight in shining armor. Sexy,” Noctis said, sliding his hands around Prompto’s waist and planting a heady kiss on his lips, taking him by surprise. Gladio and Ignis watched them, the former with a wry smile, the latter with a look of serenity.

“They know,” Noctis said simply, leaning back. Prompto looked between the other two and blushed.

“We’re both very happy for you,” Ignis said. “Now, I have to figure out how to make a wyvern curry. I doubt this is served anywhere in the Crown City, but given the circumstances, I can hardly fault you, Prompto.”

“Can’t wait to try it,” Noctis said. He led Prompto by the hand to the fire, then sat across his lap in the camping chair, impatient to hear more about his heroics.

 

* * *

 

“Hey,” Noctis said, looking through the open tent flap.

“Hey.” The blue light of his phone illuminated Prompto’s face, the rest of his body tucked into his sleeping bag.

Noctis ducked into the tent and zipped the door behind him. He stumbled on the corner of his air mattress but steadied himself.

“I kind of liked the breeze,” Prompto said.

“Really?” Noctis sat next to Prompto’s chest and cupped his head with his hand. “Because I was hoping for a little privacy.”

Prompto snorted. “They’re right outside.”

“And?” Noctis leaned down and pecked Prompto on the lips. “They’ll always be close at hand.”

“You moan really loudly,” Prompto said, leaning up to return a longer, heavier kiss. He wriggled to the side of his air mattress to make room for the prince. “I’m pretty sure they’ll notice something through the tent.”

“So you think you’ll make me moan, huh?” Noctis stretched out his body alongside Prompto’s and propped his head up with one of his hands. “Tell me how you would do that.”

“I’m not going to, Noct,” Prompto said, looking down at his screen again. “I mean, I can hear Iggy and Gladio talking. It’s too weird.”

“You want to, though,” Noctis purred. He stroked Prompto’s ear with his thumb. “You loved hearing me moan for you.”

Prompto licked his lips, still looking down at his phone. “Maybe I did.”

“I _know_ you did.” Noctis brought his lips to Prompto’s ear and whispered. “I could feel how much you loved it against my leg.”

Prompto swallowed and shifted in his sleeping bag.

“Hypothetically,” Noctis continued, running his lips over the circumference of Prompto’s ear. “What would you do to make me moan right now?”

“Hypothetically?”

Noctis stroked Prompto’s hair and hummed in assent.

“Maybe keep going with what I started earlier,” Prompto said. “You seemed to really like that.”

“Go on,” Noctis said, slowly unzipping the sleeping bag. Prompto glanced down but didn’t stop him.

“You’d probably like it even more if my mouth went lower.”

“Wow,” Noctis said quietly. “You want to do that?”

Prompto looked at him and blinked. “You don’t want me to?”

“Of course I want you to.” Noctis breathed in sharply. “Do you know how often I’ve fantasized about it?”

“I had no idea,” Prompto murmured. “Wait, in general? Or me specifically?”

Noctis blushed and looked away. “In general, of course.”

“Oh, right.” Prompto pouted his lips. “I’ve never done it before. But I’ve been thinking about what it would be like for a while.”

Noctis snaked his arm into Prompto’s sleeping bag and traced around the muscles of his upper body with the back of his hand. “I never knew you were so adventurous.”

“What about you, Noct?” Prompto fixed his eyes on his. “What have you done?”

Noctis smirked and moved his hand down Prompto’s taut abdomen. “I’m a virgin, Prom. All yours for the taking.”

“Fuck,” Prompto mouthed. He closed his eyes as Noctis’s hand reached his erection.

“You’re hard,” Noctis murmured. “That’s hot.”

“Noct,” Prompto gasped.

Noctis picked up Prompto’s phone and clicked the power button, then placed it at the edge of the tent. He looked at Prompto’s closed eyes and brought his lips to his. Prompto opened his mouth to receive him; Noctis picked up the mint of their toothpaste.

“You like it when I do this?” Noctis ran his palm over Prompto’s shaft through his clothing, root to tip and back again.

“I love it,” Prompto said, opening his eyes to the darkness.

Noctis deftly slid his fingers between Prompto’s pajamas and underwear, then resumed the motion. “How about now?”

Prompto moaned, loudly enough for Noctis to glance at the tent’s door before returning his attention to him.

“What’s this, Prom?” Noctis whispered. He rubbed tiny circles into the wet, sticky patch on Prompto’s underwear. “Changed your mind yet?”

“Gods,” Prompto whispered back.

Noctis drew his hand back and ruffled the thick trail above Prompto’s waistband, then crept beneath the elastic, pulling lightly at his pubic hair. He reached the base of Prompto’s shaft; it twitched with the beating of his heart.

“What should I do with my hand, Prom?” Noctis let his fingers lie still against Prompto’s thigh. “Should I use it to stroke you?”

“Y—Yes,” Prompto stammered. “Yeah.”

“I win,” Noctis said into his ear, as he encircled Prompto’s cock with his hand. “That wasn’t much of a fight, Blondie.”

“Shut up,” Prompto said. It was too dark to see his face, but Noctis could hear the smile in his voice. Noctis laid his cheek against Prompto’s and listened to his breathing for several strokes, then moved his lips down to his and kissed him hungrily.

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted this,” Noctis murmured, taking a breath before returning to Prompto’s mouth.

Prompto moaned again. His cock swelled in Noctis’s hand. As enraptured as he was in the moment, Noctis didn’t hear the zipper of the tent being undone.

“Noct!” Ignis said. Noctis looked at the source of the sound, then pulled his hand out of the sleeping bag as if it had been burned. Ignis and Gladio were staring at them through the door of the tent.

“This isn’t okay,” Gladio rumbled. “Get out here.”

Noctis sat up and crossed his arms. “Got tired of pretending to be okay with it, then? I should have known you were a homophobe.”

Gladio scowled at him. “What?”

“You’re stuck in the past,” Noctis declared. “I’m not marrying a woman, and neither you nor anyone else is going to make me.”

“Astrals, what are you going on about?” Ignis scratched his neck.

“It’s fine if you don’t support me; I expected as much.” Noctis narrowed his eyes. “But if you make things harder for me then you’ll regret it.”

“Don’t threaten me, twerp.” Gladio grabbed him by the arm and pulled him with him out of the tent, standing him up beside him. “Listen to the nonsense you’re spouting. The insults you’re slinging. What’s wrong with you?”

Noctis struggled against him. Prompto started to get up from his sleeping bag.

“Stay there,” Gladio commanded. Prompto blinked and sat back down.

“Let go of me!” Noctis said. “What are you doing?”

“Just sit down,” Gladio said, leading him to a chair and unhanding him. Noctis fell into it and glared into the fire.

“I’m not going back into the closet,” Noctis spat. “So screw you.”

Gladio sighed and looked at Ignis. Ignis shrugged and walked over to them.

“I think you’ve misjudged Gladio, Noct,” Ignis said, placing his hand on his shoulder.

Noctis shook off his hand. “I’m tired of the good cop bad cop routine. Don’t tell me you’ve got a problem with me being gay too.”

“Noct, I say this with the utmost affection: when you get like this, you combine thin skin with a thick head quite remarkably.”

“Good one, Iggy,” Gladio chuckled.

Noctis gaped at them. “So now you’re just going to fling mud at me?”

“Look who’s talking. Accusing us of being bigots.” Gladio scowled again. “That’s how little you think of me? Of us?”

Noctis looked away and didn’t respond.

“I’d treat you and Prompto exactly the same if one of you were a girl,” Gladio said. “This is about respect for the fact that we have to share the space we all live and sleep in.”

“Come now, Noct,” Ignis said, peering at him. “Surely you knew it wasn’t right for you and Prompto to do what you were doing when Gladio and I were right there.”

“I guess,” Noctis mumbled.

“Sorry,” Prompto said. The other three turned to look at him; he was standing in front of the tent door. “It was my fault too.”

“You said no,” Noctis said. “It was my fault. I wanted to see if I could seduce you.”

Gladio snorted. “Hearing that’s going to take some getting used to.”

“I support each of you, and your relationship, with all my heart,” Ignis said. “Full glad am I to see something beautiful grow out of the tragedy of the last few months.”

“Iggy!” Prompto walked over to Ignis’s chair and placed his hands on his shoulders. “Don’t go completely soft on us.”

“If that’s your concern, perhaps you’ll be heartened by what I say next. Despite my unconditional support, I have no desire to walk in on the two of you being intimate. Well, involving organs below the belt, in any case.”

“What he’s saying is, no sex in the tent,” Gladio said.

Noctis and Prompto looked at each other, their faces red in the firelight.

“Perhaps we could book into separate rooms at hotels in future.” Ignis scratched his chin. “Let’s see if our budget can bear it.”

“This is mortifying,” Noctis blurted out. “Can we just stop talking about this?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Gladio clapped Noctis on the back. “Everything’s clear, so you’re off the hot seat.”

Prompto smiled at Noctis, then turned with his camera to get a picture of the four of them around the fire. He looked down at the viewscreen pensively until Ignis shuffled by him with a squeeze to his arm, heading to bed.

Noctis glanced at the pile of pans and plates next to the washing tubs, then turned to Gladio. “Sorry, I sort of ran off before we could do the dishes.”

“Hey, I remember what it was like.”

“Huh?”

“I used to sneak out to meet with my first girlfriend, back in high school.” Gladio smiled wistfully. “I’d always try to get out of anything I had to do at home to spend time with her.”

“Prom’s not my boyfriend,” Noctis mumbled, watching him duck into the tent. “I think.”

Gladio tousled Noctis’s hair and chortled. “This is so cute. Young love for our little prince.”

“Shut up and help me wash the dishes.” Noctis heaved himself up and sauntered over to the tubs.

“There’s even a little swagger in your steps,” Gladio commented, sitting down and starting to scrub. “I remember that too.”

“What?” Noctis frowned at him and looked around for a dish towel.

“Feeling like hot shit because I finally had a girl.” Gladio sighed and laid the frying pan into the clear water. “Strutting around town like the top peacock.”

“Like you don’t do that normally.” Noctis wiped the pan with his cloth and set it onto the camping stove. “I mean, you literally parade around shirtless all the time.”

“You may not believe this, but I was actually a lot more reserved when I was younger.”

“I think I liked that version of you better,” Noctis quipped.

“Yeah? Well when you were younger, you almost never talked. I definitely liked that version of you better.”

They chuckled and continued with their work.

“I’m sorry for calling you a homophobe,” Noctis said quietly. “I was wrong.”

“They’re out there,” Gladio said. “Maybe less of them in our generation. Society’s changing. Well, I hope.”

“But I’m not just anyone. People expect me to—” Noctis shook his head.

“Produce an heir? Continue the line?” Gladio handed him a plate. “It’s your duty, though.”

Noctis scowled. “That’s it, then? I don’t get any say in the matter?”

“I’m not an expert on this,” Gladio said. “Iggy might know. Maybe you won’t have to marry, as long as you have a kid somehow. Or it could just be a show marriage.”

“I don’t want that!” Noctis dropped the cutlery into the tub and glared into the swirling waters.

Gladio looked at him, then resumed his washing.

“I’m not mad at you,” Noctis said quietly. “It’s just unfair.”

“It’s the distant future. Try not to think about it.” Gladio scrubbed the last plate and handed it to Noctis, then stood up and stretched. “Focus on what’s in front of you now. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

“I’ll try,” Noctis replied, stacking the last dishes next to the stove.

“Did—” Gladio turned to him and uncrossed his arms. “Did your father know?”

“No,” Noctis said. “You guys are the only people I’ve told.”

“Right,” Gladio said, appearing to ponder this.

“You think I could have told him?” Noctis’s tone turned bitter. “How? It would have destroyed him.”

“Noct—”

“I already disappointed him enough as it was,” Noctis said, raising his voice over Gladio’s. “Lazy. Selfish. Clueless. Being gay would have been the cherry on top.”

“He didn’t think those things about you.”

“How do you know?” Noctis spat. “You don’t know what it was like to have him as a father. How aloof he was. The disapproving looks over dinner. Being handed off to servants at the first opportunity. How hard it was to talk to him about anything!” He finished with a hoarse shout, his fists clenched white.

Gladio pulled him roughly into an embrace. Noctis went limp against him and cried into his broad chest.

“I know what he told me about you,” Gladio said, rubbing the prince’s back. “And how he talked about you to my father. The dreams he had for you. The hope he held for the future.”

“Stop,” Noctis mewled.

“Noct, you were his pride and joy. He wasn’t a warm man, but everyone knew how much he loved you.”

Noctis sniffed and took a breath against Gladio’s chest.

“Hey. Hey,” Gladio murmured. He waited until Noctis had raised his bloodshot eyes to his. “He would have been proud of you now, too. If he knew about you and Prompto.”

Noctis blinked and rested his head on Gladio again. “I want to believe you.”

“He’s proud of you, Noct.” Gladio gave him another hug before carefully releasing him and walking them to the tent. “Always has been. You’ll believe it eventually. Maybe if I get Prompto to convince you?”

Noctis snorted. “No way he’d do your dirty work.”

“You’re right,” Gladio said, grinning as he unzipped the tent. “I bet he saves that for you.”

“Thanks, Gladio,” Noctis said, as he held the flap open for him. “I was being stupid. I should have known you’d have my back.”

“You’ll get it through your thick head eventually,” Gladio replied. “Now hurry up, I want to go to bed.”

Noctis chuckled and ducked into the tent. Gladio followed him, then removed his shoes and bent down to close the zipper to the outside world. He reclined onto his air mattress and sank into it, feeling his aching muscles go slack with relief. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes. Noctis was making faint scratching noises as he shifted in his sleeping bag. From his spot at the edge of the tent, Gladio turned on his side and surveyed the forms of the other three men in the near-darkness. He fingered his forehead scar, mulling over the day’s revelations with the lucidity that physical exhaustion brought him. Eventually, Noctis fell silent again, and Gladio pressed his face into his pillow, content in their safety for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've more or less cemented my plan for the narrative moving forward, and want to inform everyone reading that we'll be diverging from canon in Chapter 9 of FFXV. I was toying with different ways of telling the story I want to tell and came to the conclusion that I simply can't within the confines of the game's writing from Chapter 9 forward. I hope this doesn't affect anyone negatively and that you'll keep reading as Noctis and Prompto's story continues on.


	24. Fishing

“Looking forward to jumping into bed tonight,” Noctis declared from the back seat. He spread out his legs and sank into the plush upholstery.

Gladio shook his head as he handed Ignis an Ebony. “Too much information.”

“Really, Noct?” Ignis said dryly, balancing the coffee to his lips.

“To sleep,” Noctis grumbled, closing his eyes. “Get your minds out of the gutter.”

“Right, I’m sure the thought hasn’t even occurred to you yet,” Gladio said, chuckling. “You were just checking Prompto’s blood pressure in the tent last night.”

“Pure as the driven snow, our Noct,” Ignis agreed.

“I’m taking a nap until we get there,” Noctis said, sinking down further into the seat, his face beet red.

Prompto leaned against the door and peered through his camera at the countryside rushing by. His lips smiled beneath the lens.

“Turn off the radio so Noct can rest,” Ignis admonished Gladio. He slowed the Regalia as the highway narrowed into a bridge.

“Oh please,” Gladio said. “Like he’s really sleeping. And I like this song.”

Prompto snapped a picture of a bask of sahagin crossing the river below them. He zoomed in on the viewscreen; they were frozen with their jaws wide, snapping at the schools of fish in the shallows.

“Hey Noct,” Prompto said, leaning across the seat toward him and patting his shoulder. “Looks like there might be a good fishing spot down there.”

Noctis opened his eyes and looked over at Prompto. “Really? I feel like I haven’t fished in ages. Want to check it out?”

Ignis cleared his throat. “We _are_ driving to Caem right now. I dare say you can fish to your heart’s content there.”

“I don’t feel like sitting around for hours while you swish your rod around,” Gladio agreed. “Let’s just get there and you can go off and do whatever you want once we arrive.”

“And people think being a prince means always getting your way,” Noctis said glumly. He extended his arm across the top of the back seat and stroked the nape of Prompto’s neck. “Feel like coming fishing with me once we get there? We can ditch these guys.”

Prompto turned off his camera and stretched his arms up into the wind. “What would I do while you’re fishing? Sounds like I’d get bored.”

“I’ll find something for you to do,” Noctis said, licking his lips.

Gladio groaned. “Please, kill me now.”

“You should go with him, Prompto,” Ignis said, his voice lilting. “He might need someone to hold his rod when he needs a break from fishing.”

“Don’t you start too,” Gladio warned.

“Gods, Iggy!” Prompto covered his face with his hands. “Can’t the two of you just pretend you can’t hear anything from back here?”

“If only that were true,” Gladio said. He turned and looked back at the two of them. “And I’m sure this doesn’t need to be said, but just in case: absolutely no hanky-panky in the Hesters’s house.”

“As if we would do that in a six-person bedroom,” Noctis said, rolling his eyes.

“Don’t forget what we talked about,” Gladio added.

“What?” Noctis said.

“About keeping it private for now.”

“I never agreed to that,” Noctis said dismissively. “But I doubt I’ll feel like telling anyone there anyway.”

“How far are we?” Prompto interrupted, leaning forward from Noctis’s hand. “I’m hungry.”

“Three hours, maybe?” Gladio said.

“Look around for something in the cooler between you two,” Ignis said. “I bought some things at the store this morning.”

“The less we stop, the faster we get there,” Gladio said. “Which means, the faster we can take a shower and relax. I know I’ll be feeling that hike for a few days.”

“Feel like relaxing, Prom?” Noctis said, moving his hand back to Prompto’s neck.  
  
“Sure, Noct,” Prompto said. He looked off at the rolling grassland, his voice distant.

“You okay?”

Prompto looked back at him. “Yeah. Just tired, I think. Should feel better once we’re there.”

“It has been an eventful few days,” Ignis said. “We’ve earned a day’s rest before we make our next move.”

“When’s the last time we had a weekend?” Noctis asked.

“Let’s win the war,” Gladio said. “You can have all the weekends you want then.”

“No big deal.” Noctis grinned. “Haven’t met an Imperial who posed any challenge yet.”

“Well, there was Aranea,” Ignis pointed out.

Noctis crossed his arms. “Hey, that was different!”

“I wonder what Aranea will think about us,” Prompto said across the back seat. “I should tell her at some point.”

“You want to tell the Imperial officer who attacked us about your secret gay love affair with the engaged crown prince of Lucis?” Gladio shook his head. “You really don’t make any sense sometimes, Prompto.”

“Leave him alone,” Noctis said.

“No, he’s right,” Prompto said. “I don’t want to do anything to make things harder for us.”

“Aranea did save your life,” Ignis said, glancing at Prompto in the rear-view mirror. “But this isn’t simply a matter of trust. It’s also about managing information so that we have as few surprises as possible.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said, absorbing this. He thumbed the corner of his camera. “I see what you’re saying.”

“Well, I still don’t like it,” Noctis said.

“Noct, you weren’t even open about your sexuality until last night. Surely this can’t be that different.”

“It’s completely different, Ignis.” Noctis shook his head. “The entire point is that it’s my decision whether I want to tell people or not.”

“Let’s just play it by ear,” Ignis soothed.

“I’ve already said I’ll do that,” Noctis said. “Let’s just drop it, I’m sick of talking about this.”

The car fell silent and Noctis glanced at Prompto. The blond was turned away from him, his arms resting along the windowsill, his head leaning on his shoulders, gazing out at the world passing by.

 

* * *

 

The Regalia rolled to a stop, a small cloud of dust kicking up around them in the dirt parking lot. The merchant at her roadside stand glanced up and waved to them, then returned her attention to her magazine.

“Wake up Noct,” Ignis said to Prompto. He opened his door and stretched from side to side. “He can’t get grumpy at you.”

Prompto rolled his eyes and shook Noctis’s shoulder over the cooler.

“Gladdy!” Iris skipped down the path toward them, Talcott trailing close behind. “You guys are back!”

“Iris,” Gladio said. His voice was low and clear. “How’s everything here?”

Brother and sister hugged briefly; Gladio tousled Talcott’s hair after they separated. Ignis retrieved a plastic bag from the cooler and held it out to Iris.

“We brought you some apricots,” he said. “Gladio told us you like them.”

“I do,” Iris said. She peeked inside the bag and smiled, then looked between the men quizzically. “But where’d you get these? We’ve been hearing on the radio that there’s a produce shortage in Lestallum.”

“We passed a grove. We can tell you about it once we get inside.” Gladio grinned sheepishly. “We probably all stink.”

“I didn’t say it,” Iris said with a laugh.

Talcott stood up on his toes to look into the bag in Iris’s hand. “Can I have one?”

“Of course you can, silly,” Iris replied. “Everyone can have one. Let’s help the guys bring their stuff to the house first, though.”

“Nah, we can do it,” Gladio said, popping the trunk. “If His Majesty can manage to drag himself out of his seat, that is.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Noctis said groggily, slamming his door shut.

“Hi Noct! Hi Prom!” Iris waved with her free hand.

“Iris!” Prompto grinned at her as Gladio passed him his suitcase. “Are you going to cook for us?”

“I could,” Iris said. “I doubt I’m as good as Ignis, though.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, Prompto,” Ignis said, narrowing his eyes.

“Don’t be like that. It’s different when a girl cooks for you!”

“Really?” Noctis asked, putting his hands on his hips. “How so?”

“Um, I don’t know,” Prompto said, looking away at a passing car. “It’s just something I’ve heard other people say, I guess.”

“What a weird comment,” Noctis said, accepting his suitcase from Gladio. “Even a little chauvinist.”

Gladio and Ignis exchanged glances. Ignis cleared his throat in the silence.

“It’s okay, Noct,” Iris said, her eyes darting between the two of them. “It’s not a big deal. I’m happy _someone_ thinks I’m a good cook.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said, his shoulders sagging. “It was a dumb thing to say, sorry.”

“Come on, Prom,” Iris said, beckoning him as she turned to walk up the path to the house. “I’ll open the door for you.”

Noctis watched Prompto as he made his way up the promontory until the back of Gladio’s hand flicked against his belly.

“Ow,” Noctis said, glaring at him. “What was that for?”

“Little advice for you,” Gladio said, closing the trunk. “Publicly humiliating your boyfriend is a really quick way to not have one.”

“You should apologize to him, Noct,” Ignis said, hefting his suitcase and turning to walk.

“But it was a stupid comment,” Noctis said, following them. “You have to admit that.”

“People say stupid things all the time.” Gladio turned to Noctis and waited for him to catch up. “You certainly do.”

“Somehow I knew that was coming,” Noctis grumbled.

“But we wait until we’re back at camp to take the piss,” Ignis said. “You were quite full on just now.”

“I—I guess,” Noctis said. He paused at the lilac bushes, the cloying scent bearing back memories.

Ignis peered at him from the base of the porch steps. “Does it make you feel uncomfortable? To hear Prompto make comments about women?”

“None of your business,” Noctis muttered, brushing past him.

“If so, perhaps you should talk to him about it,” Ignis called after him. Noctis shut the door behind him without looking back.

“Your Highness,” Monica was saying.

“Oh. Hi Monica,” Noctis said, turning toward her. Prompto was sitting at the dining table with Iris; Talcott was showing them his collection of cactuar figurines.

“May I take your luggage?”

“No, I got it,” Noctis said, leaning against his suitcase as he watched Prompto. “How’s everything here?”

“Very well. The same as when you left, for the most part. Mr. Sophiar joins us for meals but sleeps in the lighthouse. I imagine he’ll be happy to see you’ve found the component for the ship.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said. Ignis and Gladio came through the door as he turned back to Monica. “You have everything you need here?”

“I’m humbled, Your Highness. But you needn’t worry about us—”

“I can catch some fish for dinner,” Noctis interrupted.

“Fish?” Monica smiled. “That does sound nice. The Hesters have a great many fish recipes written down in their kitchen.”

“You were saying in the car that you wanted to go fishing,” Ignis said. He leaned toward Noctis and lowered his voice. “Perhaps you could take Prompto with you and talk about a few things.”

“I’ve got this,” Noctis said, pushing Ignis away. “Stop sticking your nose in.”

“I’ll take your suitcase to the room,” Ignis said tartly. He sniffed disapprovingly. “And I’d advise you to take a shower before leaving.”

“Can you put my suitcase in the bathroom, then?”

Ignis sighed and nodded. Noctis turned and walked to the dining table as Ignis and Gladio took the suitcases up the stairs.

“Sorry, Talcott,” Noctis said, interrupting his monologue on the virtues of different colors of cactuar. “Can I borrow Prompto for a minute?”

“Sure, Prince Noctis!” Talcott stood the cactuar in his hand back on the tabletop. “Do you want to hear about the cactuars too, after?”

“Sure, that sounds cool,” Noctis said. He offered Prompto his hand.

“Noct?” Prompto said, once Noctis had pulled him up. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” Noctis held onto his hand as they walked toward the staircase. Prompto blushed and looked away from Iris. “I wanted to say sorry about earlier.”

“Oh. Don’t worry about it.” Prompto used his free hand to play with his fringe. “You’re right, it was a dumb comment.”

Noctis smiled at him until he met his eyes. “You’re coming fishing with me, right?”

“If you want me to.”

“Of course I want you to,” Noctis said. “I can teach you how to fish, even.”

“Hmm.” Prompto shook his head and grinned. “I think I’ll just go for the company, if that’s alright.”

“That’s fine. You mind if I take a shower first?”

“Not at all. I’ll take one after you. We were just getting to the good part with the cactuars.”

Noctis chuckled and let his hand go. “See you soon.”

Prompto watched him as he ascended the staircase and walked along the second-floor balcony. When Noctis reached the bathroom, he turned and blew Prompto a kiss before shutting the door.

 

* * *

 

“Come on, you,” Noctis said. He held his arm out to Prompto from the bottom of the stairs.

“Coming,” Prompto said. He laced up his shoe haphazardly and walked across the porch to Noctis.

“Shouldn’t be hard to find a place,” Noctis said, slipping his fingers between Prompto’s. “I’m hoping for a few sea bass.”

“Is that the white one with stripes?”

Noctis chuckled. “Yeah. The white one with stripes.”

Prompto looked across Noctis’s body at the fishing rod, tackle box and woven basket in his hand. “Let me help you carry something.”

“Okay,” Noctis said, smiling. He handed Prompto the box. “Careful, it’s heavier than it looks.”

“You’re right,” Prompto said. They reached the shoulder of the highway and turned to take the trail down to the shore. “What makes it weigh so much?”

“Some lures have sinkers attached to them so they sink to the bottom. They’re for catching certain types of fish.” Noctis paused as they reached a narrow path between two boulders and let go of Prompto’s hand before proceeding. “And certain types of line are actually heavier than you might think. I usually stock up as much as I can fit in there when I find a shop.”

Prompto emerged from the boulders and took Noctis’s hand again. “How’d you learn so much about fishing, anyway? Did your dad teach you?”

“Dad?” Noctis scoffed. “No. I don’t think he ever fished. I don’t even know what hobbies he had, other than reading and listening to old music.”

“But he must have noticed how much you liked it.”

Noctis shrugged. “He’d ask me about it sometimes. Every once in a while, our people would take me to the shore or one of the reservoirs around Insomnia for the day. Then, at dinner, he’d ask me how it went.”

“Our people,” Prompto repeated, giggling.

“It’s just how I was raised,” Noctis said. “I was never on my own; there were always dozens of people nearby.”

“Did they have names?”

“That’s not the type of relationship we had,” Noctis snapped, turning to Prompto. “Why are you making it sound like I’m a horrible person?”

“I’m not! I just thought the way you said it was funny.”

“Uh-huh,” Noctis said, swinging his fishing rod in front of them to gently swat Prompto’s belly.

“It just rolled off your tongue with no irony. ‘Our people.’” Prompto flicked the rod away. “Sometimes I forget how different you are from normal folks.”

“Thanks,” Noctis said. He shook his fingers, trying to get Prompto to release his hand. “You know, this could have been a romantic walk on the beach, but instead you want to make fun of me.”

“Sorry.” Prompto squeezed Noctis’s hand between them and smiled at him. “You still haven’t answered my question, though. About fishing.”

“Oh. I don’t really know how I learned so much,” Noctis said, squinting into the sun. “I just practiced a lot and read what I could find. I think Dad was mostly happy that I finally had a hobby, instead of sitting around looking depressed all the time.”

They reached the sand of the beach. Noctis’s feet sank down into it and he slowed his pace.

“You did always seem—” Prompto looked down. “Sad. At school. Before I knew you, I mean.”

“Well, it was boring and I had no friends.” Noctis stopped to look around the beach for a promising spot. “I just wanted to get home and sit in my room every day.”

“That’s all?”

Noctis scrutinized Prompto’s expression. “There were days I was in pain, even though I didn’t tell anyone. From the Marilith attack.”

“Right.” Prompto’s eyes traveled down Noctis’s body, then back up. “I remember you telling me that story.”

“My gait is still uneven when I run,” Noctis said, watching Prompto assess him. “You don’t have to worry.”

“I’m sure you’d complain if there were any reason to.”

“Funny. You know me too well,” Noctis said. He took in a deep breath of salty air as his cheeks dimpled in the early sunset. They reached a wooden pier built into the rocks; Noctis let go of Prompto’s hand and tested the first few steps to make sure the planks were stable.

“Anyway, I got into fishing so that I could spend time on my own, without the entire staff, Ignis and dad fussing over how withdrawn I was.”

Prompto laughed as he watched Noctis examine the pier. “A socially acceptable way to be antisocial?”

“Pretty much,” Noctis said. He set his rod and the basket down on the boards and stretched his hands above his head. “And just by coincidence, I turned out to be really fucking good at it.”

“Oh yes, Noct the angling master,” Prompto said. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of algae and damp wood as he walked up the pier toward Noctis. “Isn’t it mostly about luck, though?”

“Knowing my luck, I highly doubt it,” Noctis said. He bent down to pick up his fishing pole again. “When you’re fishing, certain things are under your control. Others, not so much. That goes for everything in life, though.”

Prompto chuckled. “Based on your vast wealth of worldly experience, of course.”

Noctis slid his arm around Prompto’s waist and roughly pulled him toward him. “You do enjoy making fun of me. You’re lucky I enjoy kissing you more.”

“So that’s why you’ve kept me around all these years,” Prompto said with a grin, leaning back from Noctis’s lips.

“No!” Noctis said, his face growing hot. “That’s not what I meant.”

“You know, you did say something in the tent last night that made me think,” Prompto said slowly.

“What?”

“Ah.” Prompto blushed as he recited Noctis’s words. “You said that I didn’t know how long you’d wanted it.”

“I—” Noctis released him and turned away, bringing both hands to his rod and walking to the edge of the pier. “It was just dirty talk. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Prompto set the tackle box down by Noctis’s feet and studied the deft movements of his hands as he replaced the line.

“Is that true?” Prompto finally said, once Noctis had finished with the line and was picking over the selection of lures. “’Cause I was thinking back to how you’ve acted sometimes and it made me wonder—”

“Of course it’s not true,” Noctis said abruptly, without looking up from the tackle box. “I’ve had a crush on you for a long time.”

“What?” Prompto mouthed, taken aback by his candor.

“You can’t be too surprised,” Noctis muttered. Prompto placed his hand on the prince’s shoulder. “You fall in love with girls when you’ve known them for five minutes. I’ve spent almost all my time with you for the last five years.”

“I honestly never suspected,” Prompto said. He frowned and slapped Noctis’s shoulder. “And I don’t ‘fall in love’ with girls after five minutes, you jerk.”

Noctis grinned up at him. “Now who’s on the defensive?”

“Are you jealous?” Prompto said, sticking out his tongue.

Noctis turned his head away as if stung and looked out at the ocean. Prompto’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh Noct,” Prompto said, squatting down next to him. “Noct.”

“Yeah?” Noctis mumbled, reluctantly letting Prompto take his hand. His rod tumbled onto the pier with a dull clatter.

“It was a stupid joke. And you don’t have to be jealous.” He stood up, pulling Noctis with him. “Although it is really sweet.”

“Prom,” Noctis said, his voice quavering. The lapping of the waves against the rocks filled the silence between them as Prompto waited for Noctis to continue. “I want to know what I mean to you. You said you didn’t want labels, but for all I know you could just be—I don’t know. Confused, or experimenting, or something.”

“This is what I want,” Prompto said softly. He leaned up to Noctis’s lips, but the prince turned his head.

“I’ve liked you for years, Prom.” Noctis blinked rapidly. “From the first week we were friends in high school. It sounds insane to admit that.”

“It’s fine, Noct.” Prompto shook his head. “More than that. It’s flattering. Romantic.”

“But you were never interested in me. Or you never showed it. And believe me, I was always looking for signs.”

“You were?” Prompto scratched his neck. “I wish you’d said something.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Noctis said. “You’ve always been some wannabe womanizer. It’s not my fault for not seeing your hidden gay side.”

“That’s—” Prompto dropped Noctis’s hand. “Not what I meant. I wasn’t blaming you. I just meant that I might have realized I like guys sooner if you’d opened my eyes.”

“So what made you realize it now?”

“Ignis and Aranea said some things. But mainly I think it’s because we’ve been spending all our time together for the past few months. Going through stuff, you know?”

“So the invasion of our kingdom by an evil empire made you realize you like cock,” Noctis deadpanned.

“Do you have to be snarky?” Prompto glared at him. “You know what I mean. I’m trying to be honest here.”

“Sorry,” Noctis said. He dropped his gaze and studied his fingernails. “I just—I’m just afraid that you don’t mean any of this. And I’ve liked you for too long to not worry about that.”

“What did I say?” Prompto said.

Noctis turned to him, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

“Trust me,” Prompto said, placing one of his hands into Noctis’s with each word. “Okay, fine, I’m bisexual, I guess. That doesn’t mean I’ll drop you for the first girl who gives me a second glance.”

“You’re bi,” Noctis said thoughtfully. “So you still like girls.”

“I like _you_ ,” Prompto said. “Can’t you get that through your thick head?”

“You know, a lot of people have been asking me that recently,” Noctis said, chuckling.

“You just think about things too much sometimes.” Prompto reached around and slapped the prince’s rear. “How about we just do what feels good and figure it out from there.”

“Well, that felt good,” Noctis said, his voice low. He wrapped his hands around Prompto’s waist and leaned in for a kiss. “You can do it again if you like.”

“I shouldn’t distract you from fishing,” Prompto murmured, once Noctis’s lips had left his. “You have a job to do, or else we won’t have anything for dinner.”

“Later, then,” Noctis sighed, releasing him and bending down to pick up his rod. “Shit, I still need to figure out which lure to use.”

Prompto looked down at the tackle box, searching for purple and pink. “You could use the ones I got you.”

“I thought about that,” Noctis said. “But I don’t know if they’re suited for the fish here.”

“Okay.” Prompto shrugged and looked back at the lighthouse.

“You know what? I will use them.” Noctis pulled the purple dragon from one of the compartments and fastened it, then turned to scan the waters before casting his line.

Prompto walked up to Noctis and laid his head on the prince’s shoulder. He pulled his fringe away from his eyes and watched as Noctis dragged the line lazily through the surf.

“Nothing’s biting,” Prompto said after several minutes. “I guess my idea wasn’t very good.”

Noctis laughed. “I only just started. You have to be patient.”

“You’re patient?” Prompto said incredulously. “Mister ‘what took you so long?’”

“I’m patient when I fish,” Noctis replied. “And when it comes to other stuff, maybe more than you think.”

“How do you figure that?”

“I just told you, didn’t I?” Noctis turned to look at him and kissed his forehead. “I’ve been waiting for this moment since we were fifteen.”

“Wow,” Prompto said. He breathed in and smiled up at Noctis. “That’s so sweet.”

Noctis looked down at his reel. “Stop.”

“No, I mean it.” Prompto leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I’ve never seen this side of you. You always act so—”

“Cool and suave?” Noctis grinned broadly, his eyes squinting in the sunset.

“Disinterested.” Prompto corrected. “Dismissive, sometimes.”

“Well, I’m interested in you,” Noctis said. The line started vibrating and he clutched the rod to steady it. “Most of the rest of the world? Uh, you’re probably right about that.”

“I wish you showed this side of yourself more,” Prompto said, laying his hand on Noctis’s waist.

“I’ll show it to you, sure.” Noctis’s jaw clenched as he reeled in the fish. Through his shirt, Prompto felt his entire body tense in the battle against the catch.

“Wow!” Prompto watched the fish thrash against the hook as Noctis brought it to his hand. “That’s pretty big, right?”

“It’s alright,” Noctis said, laying the fish in the basket and assessing it as it flopped around. “Not even close to the biggest one I’ve caught.”

“And that’s a striped bass?”

“Yeah. White flesh. Medium flavor.” Noctis blinked as the fish expired in the air of land. “Really good when you grill it.”

“Now I’m getting hungry,” Prompto said.

Noctis smiled at him and drew the lock of blond hair away from his eyes. “Let’s see if I can catch a couple more. Lots of people to feed at dinner.”

“Yup.” Prompto leaned in to receive another kiss from Noctis before the prince turned away, casting his line again to the sea.

“Your lips are a little chapped,” Noctis said, sounding concerned.

“Oh. Maybe it’s the wind out here.” Prompto shielded his face from a gust from the west. “I’ll see if the stand by the road has any lip balm on the way back.”

“Your lips are of national interest to the Kingdom of Lucis.” Noctis flicked his wrist, sending the line in a new direction. “Let’s do our best to preserve them.”

“A lifetime supply of lip balm,” Prompto said cheerily. “I guess there are benefits to kissing the crown prince.”

“You know, you were my first kiss,” Noctis said, reeling in another bass, smaller this time. He dangled it from the line, waiting for Prompto’s reaction.

“I figured.”

Noctis shot him a hurt look. “Thanks.”

“No, I mean that that had to be true. Since you said that only the four of us know you’re gay. Unless you’d kissed a girl, I guess.”

“Was I—” Noctis dropped the fish into the basket and watched it writhe. His voice vibrated with uncertainty. “Was I yours?”

“Noct—”

“Just tell me.” Noctis fixed his gaze on him. In the lavender shadows of early evening, his eyes were dark, inscrutable. “I want to know.”

“No.” Prompto swallowed.

“No?”

“No, you weren’t my first kiss.”

“Oh.” Noctis turned on his heels and cast his line again. In his haste, the cast fell short, and he cursed as he reeled in the line to try again.

“You were the first guy I’ve kissed, though,” Prompto said softly.

“I guess it makes sense,” Noctis said. “You were always more popular than me in school. Friendly, outgoing. Why wouldn’t girls like that?”

Prompto snorted. “As if. You know I had no luck with girls. You were there.”

“Who was it?” Noctis blurted out, flicking the line violently through the water. “How’d it happen? Did you have a girlfriend I didn’t know about?”

“Noct, stop.” Prompto placed his hand on the prince’s back and rubbed in a circle against his tensed muscles. “Why does that matter now?”

“I want to know.” The line went still, his hands motionless. “You never told me about this.”

“I’ll tell you another time.” Prompto let his hand fall and moved to pick up the basket. “We should be getting back with the fish.”

“Don’t evade the question. And I’m still fishing.” Noctis’s voice was sharp, the edge of a blade. “Prom?”

When Prompto didn’t reply, Noctis looked over his shoulder at him. He had tears in his eyes.

“Can’t you ever back off, Noct?” Prompto wiped his face and glared at him. “Why do you always have to get your way?”

“I don’t—” Noctis felt a tug on his rod and turned back to the ocean.

“You’re overwhelming sometimes. This is all new to me, you know?”

“It’s new to me, too!” Noctis shouted into the wind. This fish was putting up more of a fight than the earlier ones. The wood underfoot creaked as Prompto stomped away down the pier.

Noctis brought the fish up and tossed it into the basket, his rod and line still attached. He nearly slipped on the foamy pier as he ran after Prompto.

“Prom!” Noctis yelled. He staggered in the sand as he caught up to Prompto, then wrapped his arm around his shoulder. “I’m sorry I shouted. I wasn’t mad at you.”

Prompto stood still, ignoring Noctis’s touch. “You sounded mad.”

“I was just surprised,” Noctis said. Prompto looked at him and furrowed his brow. “There was a fish. A big one.”

Prompto snorted. “What happened?”

“I caught it, of course,” Noctis said. “Then I came running after you.”

Prompto smiled and let Noctis pull him into his chest for a hug.

“I’m sorry,” Noctis said, holding Prompto tight, feeling the bulge and fade of his chest against his own. “I’ll back off.”

“You’re just—” Prompto raised his hands to Noctis’s shoulders and gripped them gently. He studied his fingers and the black of the prince’s jacket between them. “You’re so intense sometimes.”

Noctis laughed. “I have heard people say that before.”

“We’ll get to everything eventually,” Prompto continued. “There’s no need to rush things.”

“You’re right,” Noctis murmured, thumbing Prompto’s hair. It was feathery and light, recently shampooed. “Of course you are.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Noct,” Prompto said into his neck. “We have time. Let’s just enjoy it. Let things happen naturally.”

Noctis looked down and kissed Prompto’s ear. “I want that, Prom. More than anything.”

“Should we get the fish?” Prompto asked, looking up.

“Oh yeah.” Noctis released him and took his hand, leading them back to the end of the pier. “That last one was bigger than the others. Might be my biggest sea bass ever.”

“No way!” They reached the basket and Noctis detached his hook from the bass.

“Hmm,” Noctis said, studying the fish. “Now I’m not sure. It’s too dark; I’ll have to look at it in the house.”

“Gods!” Prompto’s knees buckled as he lifted the basket. “It’s heavy.”

Noctis laughed, closing up the tackle box and picking up his rod. “Yeah, that’s probably about fifty pounds?”

“I think you caught too much,” Prompto teased.

“Well, there are eight of us. And we can always eat the rest tomorrow.” Noctis stretched and followed Prompto across the rocks.

“Feels good to catch our own dinner,” Prompto said, once they’d reached the beach. In the late dusk, the sand under their feet still radiated the heat of the day.

“I wish every day could be like this,” Noctis said pensively. He stopped walking and looked up at the new moon.

“You’re thinking about Altissia, aren’t you?” Prompto asked. He set the basket down on the sand and turned to Noctis.

“Reading my mind again?” Noctis grinned.

“What will we tell Luna?” Prompto rubbed the back of his head. “I feel kind of bad.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” Prompto said. “Like I took her fiancé or something.”

Noctis looked up at the sky and burst out laughing. “She’ll probably be as happy as I am about that.”

“If you say so. You know her better than I do.”

“Barely,” Noctis said. He closed his eyes and let the memories drift by before turning to Prompto. “We only knew each other when we were kids, for a few months. Other than that, we’re just, like, pen pals.”

“Huh.” Prompto pursed his lips and looked back at Noctis. “So, what will you tell her when we see her?”

Noctis stroked his chin. His gaze darted between the stars that framed Prompto’s figure before finally settling on his waiting eyes. “I guess I’ll tell her that I have a boyfriend?”

Prompto’s mouth slowly widened into a smile. “Yeah? Does he know about this?”

“I think he’ll work it out,” Noctis said, setting down his rod and tackle box. He wrapped his arms around Prompto’s waist and nuzzled his nose.

“You’d have to be pretty awesome for a prince to fall for you,” Prompto commented, between Noctis’s kisses. “Especially one as notoriously picky as Noctis Lucis Caelum.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Noctis pulled back, flashing a wicked grin. “Apparently I turned him, so I’m not entirely without my charms.”

Prompto snorted. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Noctis leaned into Prompto’s lips again and kissed him slowly. The surf lapped against their shoes, the motion of the waves a metronome marking the rhythm of their breaths, the motion of their bodies. Over the western horizon, the last glaze of sunlight had been extinguished; in the east, the moon slumbered, gathering strength for another cycle. In the vastness between them, the night sky, keeper of secrets, triumphantly prepared the waiting souls below for the dawn of a new day.


	25. Sun

Prompto’s eyes fluttered open. He winced in the ray of midmorning light piercing the curtains before looking down at the weight pressing against his leg.

“Morning, handsome,” Noctis said. His hair was damp and a towel hung around his neck. He smiled and reached down to rub his thumb along the side of Prompto’s face.

“Morning,” Prompto croaked. He breathed in deeply and squinted at Noctis. “You’re already up? Before me?”

“Shocking, isn’t it?” Noctis shifted on the bed and brought his towel to his hair. “I’ve even taken a shower and brought you a scone from the kitchen. Monica just made them.”

“On top of all that, you’re wearing something other than black,” Prompto mumbled, rubbing his eyes and appraising Noctis’s white T-shirt and blue jeans. “I must be dreaming.”

“If you were dreaming, I hope we’d be doing something more interesting than this.” Noctis dropped the towel back to his shoulders and moved up the bed, sliding next to Prompto’s chest.

“True,” Prompto said. He wriggled to the side to make room for him. “We’d be jockeys for the day at the chocobo racetrack.”

“You know, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” Noctis said, smirking. He leaned down to Prompto’s mouth.

“Wait.” Prompto raised his head from his pillow to look around the room. “What if someone sees?”

Noctis brought his hand to Prompto’s ear and turned his head back towards his. “They’re all downstairs. And I closed the door.”

“Naughty,” Prompto whispered, just before meeting Noctis’s lips. They were still hot and supple from the shower.

Noctis hummed with pleasure once Prompto pulled away, his head following him for a second before he reopened his eyes.

“Ew,” Prompto said. He sat up against the headboard.

“What?” Noctis’s eyes widened apprehensively.

“I just realized I have morning breath,” Prompto said, covering his mouth.

“Nah.” Noctis gently pulled Prompto’s hand away from his face and kissed him again. “It’s nothing.”

“That’s my line,” Prompto giggled. He pulled Noctis into him, then leaned into his neck and sniffed.

“Not going to bite me, are you?” Noctis said into his ear.

Prompto sniffed again. “You smell really nice. Like pine and chocolate.”

“I used some of Gladio’s aftershave,” Noctis admitted.

“How come he never smells this good, then?” Prompto nuzzled into the crook of Noctis’s neck.

“Hmm,” Noctis said. “Maybe you just like the way I smell?”

“What, your manly musk?” Prompto snorted hot air into Noctis’s collarbone. “Believe me, after camping with you for two months, I think I’ve smelled enough of that to last a lifetime.”

“I like the way you smell,” Noctis said, blithely ignoring him. “Even with morning breath.”

“Now I feel self-conscious,” Prompto joked. He pushed him away lightly and picked up the plate with the scone from the nightstand.

“I put peanut butter in it,” Noctis said, watching as Prompto took his first bite. “I know you like that.”

Prompto chewed slowly and smiled, setting the plate back at the side of the bed. “I have a boyfriend who’s a prince; he brings me scones in bed with peanut butter. Life sure is weird.”

“Don’t forget the teleporting and talking to gods bits,” Noctis added.

Prompto chuckled and threw the covers off, then swung his legs over the side of the bed to sit next to Noctis. “The next time you talk to them,” he said, pecking Noctis on the corner of the mouth, “ask them what they think about the two of us.”

“Huh,” Noctis said. He watched Prompto as the blond stood and stretched, arching his back. “Well, I guess Bahamut has all those prophecies. Maybe he saw us coming.”

Prompto looked over his shoulder at Noctis and quirked his eyebrow. “Um, you want to rephrase that?”

Noctis reached out his hand to cup the rise of Prompto’s buttocks through his sweatpants. “They see everything, you know. And—well, I don’t want to sound conceited, but they’re pretty interested in what I’m doing. They’re probably watching over the two of us.”

Prompto swatted Noctis’s hand away and turned around. “Dude, is that supposed to make me feel anything but creeped out? That the astrals are voyeurs?”

“What I meant is, they can’t disapprove, right? Because they obviously know. If they didn’t like it, I’d have been struck by a lightning bolt or something by now.” Noctis laughed nervously.

“I guess,” Prompto said. He took a step back towards Noctis and rubbed the side of the prince’s neck. “You’re insane if you think the draconian saw a gay king and his commoner boyfriend in one of his musty old prophecies, though.”

“Maybe he’s more liberal than you think,” Noctis quipped, angling his chin up for another kiss. Prompto chuckled and obliged him.

“I should get changed,” he said. “Can’t believe I slept this late.”

Noctis looked behind him. “Well, the door’s still closed.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said, bending over his suitcase at the foot of the bed. “That it is.”

“You could get dressed right here,” Noctis said, letting himself fall back into the sheets. He grinned mischievously when Prompto met his eyes.

“But the bathroom’s right down the hall,” Prompto teased. He set his shirt, jacket and leather pants at the foot of the bed. His eyes roamed over Noctis’s body, pausing at the bulge in his jeans halfway down.

“Take your shirt off,” Noctis said, his voice just above a whisper.

“As you command,” Prompto said, slowly easing his blue T-shirt over his head. “My prince.”

“Nice,” Noctis murmured. He rolled onto his side to face Prompto. “How about you flex for me.”

Prompto looked at his feet and blushed. “Like a bodybuilder or something? Nah.”

“Come on. You have a hot body, Prom,” Noctis said. His eyes drifted down the blond’s pale chest, pausing at every birthmark. Prompto followed his gaze and sucked in his abs once the prince reached them. “So lean and cut.”

“I bet you tell that to all the boys,” Prompto said with a grin. He halfheartedly raised his arms above his head to show them off.

Noctis placed his hand over his crotch and tugged down slightly to adjust it. “I love how hairy you are, too.”

Prompto dropped his arms and looked down at his chest. “I’m hairy?”

“Compared to me, you are.” Noctis leaned up from the bed and pulled his T-shirt to his nipples. “You can barely tell I went through puberty.”

“You have a little bit,” Prompto said, glancing at the feathery black line that snaked from the waistband of the prince’s underwear.

“Not like you,” Noctis said. He let his shirt fall and slid, catlike, across the bed to where Prompto was standing. “Your chest hair’s like a forest. A sexy forest.”

Prompto let out a peal of laughter and covered his face with his hands. He trembled for several seconds, crying with mirth into his palms, unable to string together speech.

“You okay?” Noctis said, sounding unsure.

“What do I even say to a line like that? And how can a forest even _be_ sexy?”

“Easy,” Noctis purred. He reached both hands up to Prompto’s body and touched his fingertips to the thin strands of gold that fanned out from the center of his chest, worshipping them as if they were the rays of the sun at the end of a long night.

Prompto watched Noctis’s attentive fingers, his devoted gaze, and sighed.

“Something wrong?” Noctis asked, looking up. He dropped his hands, letting them rest on Prompto’s waist.

“The opposite,” Prompto replied, shaking his head and letting Noctis pull him toward the foot of the bed. “Completely the opposite. This just feels so right.”

Noctis closed his eyes and leaned forward, laying his ear against Prompto’s navel. He wrapped his hands across his back more tightly. Prompto felt his fingernails gently press into his skin.

“I always wished you would say that one day.”

“I’m lucky,” Prompto said, stroking Noctis’s hair, remembering Aranea’s words.

“I’m the lucky one,” Noctis replied. He watched the curtains flutter in the sea breeze, then turned to kiss Prompto’s abdomen. “No contest.”

The rattle of the door opening broke the silence of the moment. Noctis dropped his hands from Prompto and turned to look at the interruption.

“Oh!” Iris exclaimed, taking in the sight of Prompto’s bare chest and Noctis’s annoyed scowl beside it.

“Need something?” Noctis asked curtly.

Prompto pulled his shirt from underneath Noctis and slid it over his head. “Morning, Iris.”

“Morning, Prom.” She turned her gaze to him and smiled. “Oh, yeah, I thought I’d come see what was taking you two so long. Noct said he’d go upstairs to wake you up like half an hour ago. Gladdy and Ignis already left for the lighthouse to talk to Cid.”

“Noct wanted to talk to me about something,” Prompto said. He glanced at Noctis and stifled a laugh at the sight of the prince’s wink.

“Yeah,” Noctis added, his lips curling into a roguish smile. “I was asking him if he wanted to take a walk in the…forest.”

Prompto coughed and covered his mouth.

“Are you okay?” Iris looked at Prompto in alarm. “You sound like you’re choking.”

“Oh, yeah,” Prompto said, turning to the window to collect himself. “I think my throat’s just dry.”

“So you decided to go to the Malmalam Thicket after all, then,” Iris said to Noctis. “You know, Ignis was telling us some story he’d heard about that place when we were playing cards last night. When you guys were out fishing?”

“What?” Noctis scratched his head.

“You said you were asking Prom if he wanted to explore the forest?”

“Oh.” Noctis sat up and looked at Prompto’s shaking back; he had lost all control over his giggling. “Yeah, that’s definitely what I meant. The Malmalam Thicket.”

“You two are so weird,” Iris commented.

With herculean effort, Prompto took a deep breath. “I’ll be right down, Iris.”

“I can take a hint,” she said, throwing Noctis a knowing look before closing the door behind her.

“I hate you,” Prompto said, as soon as the door had clicked shut. He turned and pushed Noctis down to the bed with his palm, the tears of laughter on his face glistening in the midmorning light.

“No you don’t,” Noctis said, holding out his hands. Prompto glared at him briefly before slipping his fingers between his. With surprising force, Noctis pulled Prompto onto him and leaned up to meet his lips. Prompto held himself up against Noctis’s palms as they drifted between kisses and laughing into each other’s cheeks.

“I have no idea how you managed all these years,” Prompto said, once Noctis had let his head fall back into the sheets again. He straddled the prince’s waist and sat back against his hips. “You’re awful at keeping secrets.”

Noctis raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. “Well, I guess I can’t excel at everything.”

“I doubt you even believe that.” Prompto rolled his eyes.

“I really do, Prom,” Noctis said, affecting a hurt look. “I’m not totally deluded. I’ll never be as good as you at growing sexy blond chest hair, for instance.”

“Which reminds me, don’t refer to my body hair as a forest,” Prompto said, as Noctis reached beneath his shirt to rove over his torso. “It makes me sound like a voretooth or something.”

Noctis met Prompto’s eyes and hummed his assent.

“Good boy,” Prompto said. He felt Noctis’s hips buck gently underneath him as the prince heard the words. Prompto blushed, suddenly aware of the pressure against his rear.

“Weren’t you in the middle of getting changed?” Noctis said, his eyes like fire.

“I really should,” Prompto said, wriggling off carefully, pressing his hand to Noctis’s breast in apology. “Especially since we’re apparently headed to some cursed woods later.”

“Where are you going?”

“I need to use the bathroom,” Prompto said, gathering up his clothes. “I think I need a shower, too.”

“Don’t take too long,” Noctis called after him, reaching his hand out.

Prompto turned at the doorway and blew him a kiss before disappearing down the hallway.

Noctis clasped his hands behind his head and sank into the bed, sighing in contentment. He turned to watch the fluttering of the curtains and the azure sky behind them. If every day could be like this, he thought, there would be a reason to wake up early. He fished his phone from his pocket and relished the amount of time left in the morning, wishing it could go on and on for them forever.

 

* * *

 

“Hey,” Noctis said, hopping down onto the step on which Iris was sitting. He splayed his legs out before him on the deck and closed his eyes to smile up at the sun.

“Oh,” Iris said, blinking and drawing her arms around herself. “It’s you, Noct.”

Noctis quirked an eyebrow. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, you just surprised me. I was thinking about something.”

“Daydreaming?” Noctis tossed his hair out of his eyes as the salt breeze passed between them. “It’s a great day for it.”

“Someone’s in a good mood,” Iris observed.

“Hey, you say that like I’m always miserable.”

“Noct,” Iris said, cracking a smile. “I’ve known you since we were kids. You’ve never been the happiest guy in the room.”

“Guilty as charged,” Noctis said. “But you’re right, I am in a good mood.”

Iris watched the sunflowers in the garden sway in the wind, letting several seconds of quiet pass before turning back to Noctis.

“It’s Prom, isn’t it? The reason you’re smiling so much?”

Noctis shook his head and pretended to study the wispy clouds over the lighthouse. “Why would you think that?”

“Come on, Noct,” Iris said, her gaze unflinching.

“Come on, what?”

“I know you think I’m a silly little girl.” Iris moved her hair away from her face as another gust hit them.

“Well—”

“Remember our walk around Lestallum? Feels like years ago now.” Iris looked down at the line of ants that crept along the grain of the stairs.

“Yeah.” Noctis turned towards Iris and crossed his legs. “What about it?”

“After like an hour of seeing the city, when we got back to the hotel? You said you were just about done with babysitting me.”

“I was just teasing you,” Noctis said. “You know how it is.”

“But you do think that,” Iris replied. “There’s some truth behind every joke.”

“Well, you are still a kid.” Noctis shrugged. “You’re still in high school. Can you even drive yet?”

Iris glared at him. “I don’t have to know how to drive a car to notice how Prompto makes you feel. You’re not as cool and detached as you like to think.”

“Fine,” Noctis said, crossing his arms. “So what if I like Prompto. You have a problem with that?”

“No.” Iris grinned and reached towards Noctis, pulling his hands away from his chest. Noctis watched her suspiciously but let his arms fall to his sides. “Not at all. I think it’s cute. Unbelievably cute.”

Noctis’s face reddened. He spun his body away from Iris and looked up at the rustling leaves above their heads.

“Noct, you’re blushing!” Iris laughed. “I need a picture of this.”

“Don’t you dare,” Noctis growled. He turned his body further so that his back faced Iris.

“Spoilsport,” Iris said. “Okay, you can turn around. I promise not to record this moment.”

“Don’t tell Gladio,” Noctis said. He faced Iris and leaned back into the railing.

“He doesn’t know? I’m sure he wouldn’t have a problem with it.”

“No, he knows,” Noctis said sheepishly. “I just wasn’t supposed to tell anyone else. It’s all supposed to be some big secret for my own safety, or something.”

“Well, no one will find out from me.” Iris pondered Noctis’s words. “Although, if you actually don’t want people to work it out, you might want to, um—”

“Gods,” Noctis said. “Please don’t continue.”

“You stare at Prom a lot. Really intently, too, like there’s nobody else in the room to pay attention to.”

“I do not,” Noctis protested. “Stop making things up to get a reaction.”

Iris snorted. “You’ve never been the most self-aware guy in existence, but do you really not realize you’re doing it?”

“Insults,” Noctis said. “Nice. Is this how you plan to get a boyfriend one day?”

“Well, maybe you can give me some advice on that,” Iris retorted.

Noctis rolled his eyes. “So, is that all? You guessed by how I look at him?”

“No, it’s way more than that. You always try to spend time with just him. And you never seem happy unless he’s around.”

“That’s—that’s an exaggeration.” Noctis covered his mouth with his hand.

Iris smiled, shaking her head. “And I guess I never noticed all this when we were younger because—”

“Because little boys belong with little girls,” Noctis mocked in a falsetto. “I bet none of your silly fairytales had a prince end up with another guy.”

Iris frowned. “Well, fine. But what I was going to say was that Prom was also your one friend. So I thought that was the reason you were only happy with him.”

“Don’t spare my feelings,” Noctis said. “So I’m oblivious, have no friends, anything else you want to add?”

“You really make this difficult, you know that?” Iris stood and placed her hands on her hips. “I’m trying to help you and make you feel normal and accepted, and instead of being happy about that you behave like an arba with a sore neck.” She turned and walked to the door of the house.

“Wait!” Noctis called. “Come back. I didn’t mean to piss you off.”

Iris walked next to him and sat down on the deck again. “I wasn’t that mad. But I did kind of want a scone from the kitchen.”

Noctis grinned. “I know what you were trying to do. I just like poking people a little to see if they’re being genuine.”

“You know me better than that,” Iris said. “I’ll always tell you what I think.”

“Good.” Noctis squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll hold you to it.”

“What I said—” Iris wiped a tear from her eye. “I love seeing you so happy. And I can tell Prompto feels the same.”

“Then why are you crying, silly?”

“I don’t know,” Iris said. She brushed more tears away with her bare wrist. “So much bad stuff has happened. I’m scared about what might happen to you guys. I wish you didn’t have to fight. I want you and Prompto to be happy together.”

“We’ll be fine, Iris.” Noctis rose to his knees and leaned forward to embrace her. “Gladio wouldn’t let anything happen to me. And he’s pretty much indestructible.”

“I just want things back to normal, Noct.” Iris wept into his shoulder as he held her.

“I’m doing my best,” Noctis said, stroking her back. “I won’t let you down.”

“I wish I could do more. I feel so useless here, worrying about you all.”

“Stop it.” Noctis released her and sat back down. “Don’t worry about us. You have a lot to do already, don’t you?”

Iris sniffled. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you still have your studies. And I’m sure Monica has stuff she needs help with. And Talcott needs someone to hang out with.”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at,” Iris said, furrowing her brow. “And are you wearing Gladdy’s aftershave?”

Noctis blushed. “Um, I ran out of my own.”

“Right,” Iris said, the edges of her mouth pulling into a smile.

“Anyway, try not to worry so much about us. Focus on that other stuff instead. Yourself, the people around you. Just living your life is a way of resisting the Empire.” Noctis sat up and tilted his chin skyward. “They’ll never take away everything from us, unless we let them.”

The sound of clapping broke the quiet. Noctis turned to see Gladio and Ignis walking up to the foot of the porch.

“I take it all back,” Gladio said. “You might not be so hopeless at the inspirational stuff after all.”

“Not half bad,” Ignis agreed.

“How much did you hear?” Noctis said warily.

“Just the last couple sentences. Though now I want to know what you were talking about.” Gladio glanced between the two of them.

“Oh, just—I just felt down for a moment, that’s all,” Iris said. “Is everything fine with the ship?”

“Splendid, actually,” Ignis said, turning to Noctis. “Cid says it should be seaworthy within two days at most. We can proceed to Altissia at any point after that.”

“Great,” Noctis said.

Gladio snorted. “You can sound a little more excited.”

“Great!” Noctis exclaimed sarcastically, throwing his arms up.

Iris giggled. “Noct, you should tell them about what you and Prom were talking about.”

“Huh? Oh.” Noctis looked up at Ignis. “Iris said that you heard something about the Malmalam Thicket?”

“Merely the stories everyone’s heard regarding that place. Infested by witches and wild beasts, the likes of which even veteran hunters find themselves outmatched by.”

“Wonderful,” Noctis muttered.

“The part I found notable is that the wilderness of Malmalam was only mentioned in passing before the reign of a king from the Middle Ages known as The Pious. From his time forward, it receives fairly regular mention as a metonymy for the southwestern boundary of Lucis.”

“So you think he’s buried there,” Noctis concluded.

“Precisely. Many Lucian kings had their mausoleums erected on territory they had conquered. It seems as logical a spot as any.”

“Sounds like a lot of dumb dick-waving to me,” Noctis said.

“That may be, but we need their weapons nonetheless. Shall I plot our course?”

“Sure,” Noctis said. “We leaving today?”

“That’s up to you. I’m not bothered, considering we’re waiting for the ship in any case.”

“I’ll see what Prom thinks,” Noctis said.

“Of course you will,” Gladio said, winking. “Where is he, anyway?”

“He was taking a shower and getting some breakfast.” Noctis scratched the back of his neck. “Seems like he’s taking forever, though.”

“I’ll make sure he hasn’t fallen down the drain, then,” Ignis said, proceeding to the door. “Gladio, will you help me get the fish ready for lunch?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Gladio clapped Noctis on the back. “I know I already told you this last night, but the bass you caught was incredible. Good work.”

“No big deal,” Noctis said. Gladio chuckled and disappeared through the door with Ignis.

“I should do the weeding before lunch,” Iris said, looking at the garden. “Thanks for the talk.”

“Thank _you_ for the talk,” Noctis said. He smiled up at her as she stood and walked slowly down the stairs.

“Hi Prom!” Iris said, waving at the door. She turned and jogged up the rise, eventually disappearing between the rows of sunflowers.

“Hey,” Prompto said, sliding onto the step next to Noctis. He surveyed the yard before leaning in and pecking Noctis’s cheek chastely.

“That’s all I get after that much of a wait?” Noctis complained. “What took you so long?”

Prompto chuckled. “Sorry, you know I eat kind of slowly. And I got engrossed in this book Ignis left on the dining table.”

“Oh? I hope it was good enough to leave me twisting in the wind all this time.”

“It was a biography of Iskandar. You know?”

“Of course,” Noctis said. “He’s only the most famous general ever.”

“Did you know he was in love with his best friend from childhood? Who was also part of his personal bodyguard?”

Noctis smirked. “Ignis really isn’t subtle with his hints, is he?”

“I had to keep reading until I found out what happened to them.” Prompto leaned against Noctis’s shoulder and stared up at the leaves and sky. “I was kind of sad when Hephaestion died unexpectedly, and Iskandar grieved until following him a year later.”

“They’ve both been dead for two thousand years.” Noctis nudged Prompto. “Hey.”

Prompto turned to him, his hair fluttering with the wind. “What?”

“That’s not us,” Noctis said. “We’re going to make it.”

“But—”

“No,” Noctis said sternly. “We’re going to make it.”

Prompto sighed and rested his head on Noctis’s shoulder. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

“Glad I could oblige. Do I get my kiss now?”

Prompto laughed and sat up, presenting his lips. Noctis wrapped his arm around him as the kiss lingered on, holding their bodies close.

“Oh,” Noctis said, once Prompto had returned his head to the prince’s shoulder. “I may have let slip to Iris about us.”

“What?” Prompto snorted. “You’re not doing a very good job with the whole ‘keeping it quiet’ thing.”

“She’d already worked it out,” Noctis said. “And Iris is almost like family.”

“Well, Gladio can hardly be mad about her knowing, I guess,” Prompto murmured. “But you also said you’re going to tell Luna.”

“I trust Luna,” Noctis said. “Completely. She’d never do anything to hurt me.”

“But you said last night that you barely knew her,” Prompto said. “I’m confused.”

“I barely know her as a person. Her role as the Oracle has been drilled into both of us from a young age. And the Oracle stands with the King of Lucis. There’s no breaking that covenant.”

“It all sounds very old-fashioned,” Prompto commented.

“Well, I didn’t make it up,” Noctis said. “Take your complaints to Bahamut.”

Prompto chuckled. “I wonder if he ever regrets anything when he hears how you really think.”

“If only. My hope is that he’ll get fed up with me and come to Eos to fix everything himself.”

“You should tell Luna that. She talks to the gods, right?”

“Huh. Maybe I will.”

“I wasn’t serious,” Prompto said. He sat up straight and stretched. “I don’t want to be blamed for you getting smited by the Draconian.”

“Well, at least then there’d be less walking.” Noctis looked up. “Where are you going?”

“Oh, I told Iris last night that I’d help her in the garden today. I saw her already heading over there when I walked out of the house.”

“But I barely got any time with you,” Noctis whined.

“We can spend the entire afternoon together,” Prompto said. He bent forward at the base of the stairs and planted a kiss on Noctis’s pouting lips. “And the entire evening.”

“What about the night?” Noctis asked. He leaned back against the step and grinned wickedly. “Will we spend it together too?”

Prompto looked down, blushing. “You know we can’t do that.”

“I’ll take what I can get for now, then,” Noctis said. “I did just brag about how patient I was yesterday.”

“I’m going to walk away before my face gets any redder,” Prompto said.

“Don’t walk too fast,” Noctis called after him. “I want to enjoy the view.”

Prompto turned to stick out his tongue and jogged the rest of the way to the garden.

 _He’s mine_ , Noctis thought. He turned and leaned back against the railing, spreading his legs out and closing his eyes. The smell of grilled fish wafted from the kitchen; Noctis breathed deeply, hungrily, and listened to the branches sway around him.

A feeling of cold wetness against his arm caused him to start and look to the side. “Umbra!”

The dog pushed the notebook to his hand insistently. Once Noctis had taken it and sat up, Umbra reclined on the step below him to wait.

“Sounds like she’s doing okay,” Noctis said to Umbra, his tone rising at the end. Umbra stared back at him, revealing nothing.

“I guess you couldn’t tell me, even if you wanted to.” Noctis tapped the pen to his chin as he considered what to write. The sound of distant laughter in the garden drifted past; Noctis smiled and uncapped the pen.

 _Got it_ , he wrote. _Hope you’re safe. We’re heading there in the next few days._

Noctis paused and lifted the pen from the page. Umbra looked at him quizzically.

“Not yet,” Noctis said, cocking his head. Umbra closed his eyes and rested his head on his paws again.

_I have someone I want you to meet. He’s really special to me._

Noctis shook his head. “That sounds lame. I’m guessing you don’t have any white-out on you?”

Umbra’s ears twitched, but the dog betrayed no reaction otherwise.

“Actually, I like it.” Noctis smiled to himself and moved the pen to a new line. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

_He makes me happier than I’ve ever been._

Noctis pushed the ballpoint into the page for several seconds at the end of the sentence and shook his head again. “I better stop here. Otherwise I’ll write an entire novel about him.”

Umbra turned to him and whined.

“Yeah, yeah.” Noctis closed the book and presented it and the pen back to him. “Safe travels.”

He watched Umbra trot off until the dog vanished in the distance. More of Prompto’s laughter floated on the wind to him; he wrapped his arms around his knees and rested his head against them, basking in the warmth of the sun. _All mine_.


	26. Heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changing the rating to E because of this chapter. I didn't set out to do it, but I go where the writing takes me.
> 
> Honestly it's fairly tame in my opinion, but it's probably better to err this way.

Prompto squatted down to the forest floor, inspecting the pile of clean bones in the dappled light. “Guys, I already don’t like this place.”

Gladio kneeled down beside him. “They’re human.”

“Well, I know that. There’s a skull over there that’s split in half.”

“Gruesome.” Ignis placed his hands on his hips and looked around. “Whatever did that could be watching us right now, through the trees, and we’d be none the wiser.”

“Did you have to say that?” Prompto sprang up and started walking back down the trail. “I think this is a bad idea. Let’s go back to Caem.”

Noctis chuckled and jogged after him. “Hey, don’t worry. Anything that could crush a human skull in half would be big enough to hear coming. I think.”

“That’s not very reassuring,” Prompto groused. He turned to Noctis. “Why’d you have to tell Iris that ‘forest’ line, anyway? I blame you for this, dude.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” Noctis said, sliding his arms around Prompto’s waist and fluttering his eyelashes.

Prompto looked behind him at the river, feigning reluctance. “I’m going to need details. You could be trying to hoodwink me.”

“Hmm.” Noctis leaned in and brushed Prompto’s nose with his own. “I’ll let you play with my royal weapon after we get out of here.”

“That sounds more like a reward for you,” Prompto said. “And I’m pretty sure your ancestors wouldn’t approve.”

“Who cares what they think?” Noctis’s hands wandered down to Prompto’s hips and squeezed. “I do what I like.”

The corner of Prompto’s mouth pulled upward. Noctis glanced down and mirrored his smile.

“Alright, Noct,” Prompto said. He slipped out of Noctis’s embrace and offered him his hand. “Not like I have a say in the matter anyway.”

“Of course you do,” Noctis replied. He let Prompto lead them back towards the other two, who had already resumed walking. “We’re equals.”

Prompto snorted. “As if Iggy and Gladio would tolerate that. I’ll leave the responsibility to you. And the lectures.”

“There goes that plan,” Noctis sighed.

“I like the idea of being equals, though,” Prompto said, turning to him and grinning.

“We are,” Noctis said, moving closer, bumping into him softly. “Never doubt that.”

They caught up to the other two just as the forest began to thicken and the path narrowed.

“Rather sultry,” Ignis commented.

“My shirt’s sticking to me like glue.” Prompto peeled his tank top away from his body and wrung his sweat from it. “What I wouldn’t give for a breeze.”

“Hard to believe we’re only an hour and a half from Caem,” Gladio said. “It’s so muggy here.”

“Muggy usually means insects,” Noctis said absentmindedly.

“Did you have to say that?” Prompto scowled and let go of his hand. “I’m getting my gun ready now, just in case we come across any.”

Noctis watched him work as they proceeded through the mottled underbrush. “I’m still amazed at how quickly you became good at that.”

“What, loading a gun? It’s not that hard.”

“No, everything. Your aim. Your control. Your, um, penetration.”

“Oh, that’s what this is about.” Prompto reached up to hold a young branch away from the path, motioning Noctis by. “Do you ever stop with the innuendos?”

“That’s not—” Noctis turned away from Gladio’s smirk and looked back at Prompto. “I was actually talking about your gun. The one in your hand.”

“Uh-huh.” Prompto slapped Noctis’s rear to get him to keep moving forward.

“You know how you do that one technique? Where you shoot in a line through things? I wish I could do that.”

“Piercer? Nah, it’s nothing,” Prompto said. “I’ll teach you. But you’ll have to practice it to get it to be reliable, and I rarely see you using your gun.”

Ignis stopped at the top of the bluff and glanced down at them. “This conversation—"

“I’m trying to ignore it,” Gladio said, chortling.

“What’s that?” Prompto said, clutching his revolver at the buzzing sound.

“Giant insects of some kind,” Ignis replied. He adjusted his glasses and peered through the leaves. “Well, well.”

“What?” Prompto demanded, scrambling up to him. “Don’t keep me in suspense. I’m about to wet my pants over here!”

“They’re wasps. Slightly different from the ones with which we’re acquainted.”

“I knew it.” Prompto’s shoulders slumped as he watched the wasps glide in the clearing before them. “I knew there’d be horrible things here.”

“Well,” Ignis said, scratching his chin. “I doubt they’re what’s responsible for the cloven skull we encountered.”

“Right, they’re just a fun bonus,” Noctis said dryly. “Come on, let's kill them before Blondie loses his nerve.”

“It might be too late for that,” Prompto said. “Can’t I just wait here while you…you know?”

“Get up,” Gladio said gruffly, pulling Prompto by his collar. “We have antidotes on us. Stop being such a wuss.”

“I’ll protect you,” Noctis said, placing his hand on one of Prompto’s cheeks and kissing the other. “Babe.”

Ignis smiled at the two of them. Prompto stared into Noctis’s eyes and stood up straighter. “Well, that’s settled, then. Shall we don our exterminator hats?”

“I’ll be watching you,” Noctis said, as his polearm shimmered into form before them. “I want to see a few good Piercers.”

“If I see the right opening,” Prompto said, shrugging.

“I’ll do my best.”

Noctis winked and warp-struck into the group of wasps without another word. As he flitted between them, drawing their attention to his dancing form and parrying their stingers preternaturally, Prompto watched the white of his smile, letting it mark his path.

“I think someone was showing off in that fight,” Gladio said, once they’d regrouped in the middle of the clearing.

“More than one, I’d say,” Ignis replied, eyeing Prompto.

Noctis gazed silently over the fallen wasps, only looking up once Prompto had arrived at his side. “Nice shooting.”

Prompto scratched his neck as Noctis took his other hand, leading the group to where the trail continued. “So, did you learn anything? You said you’d be watching me.”

“Not that much, sorry. It was a little hectic.”

“Oh.” Prompto looked down at the wildflowers. “It’s okay.”

“I guess you’ll just have to give me some lessons later,” Noctis said.

“Iggy,” Gladio said. “I’ve changed my mind. We need to get these two to a hotel, and as soon as physically possible. I don’t think I can listen to any more of this.”

“We’re heading to Altissia soon,” Ignis said, with more than a little amusement. “You’ll simply have to bear it for now.”

“I hear water,” Prompto said. “Does anyone else hear that?”

“I was just going to mention it,” Ignis said. “Hopefully that means the trees will thin a bit soon. It’s amazing how dark it is on the forest floor when it’s still broad daylight above it.”

“I’m more interested in just jumping into whatever water that is and cooling off,” Noctis said. “I’m all sticky and gross. If you ask me, the best place to spend summer is indoors with the air conditioning on.”

“I like summer,” Prompto said.

“Of course you do,” Noctis replied. “You get to show off your guns.”

“Hey, that’s not why!” Prompto crossed his arms as Noctis ran off down the trail. He stopped once he’d passed through the line of trees and turned around. The sun bathed his body in light; Prompto had to squint to make out his features.

“Come on,” Noctis called back. “I see the river! Looks like there’s a campsite, too.”

“No way are we camping here,” Prompto said, jogging up to him. “That’s insanity.”

“Real nice here,” Gladio said, once he’d arrived at the edge of the river. “Can almost forget how dangerous it is.”

“The magics of the haven should keep us safe enough, if we should need to remain overnight.” Ignis shaded his eyes with his hand and peered around. “Perhaps we can take a break there before reconnoitering the area. I suggest we follow the branches of the river. With any luck, the tomb will have been built out in the open.”

“We still have plenty of daylight left,” Gladio said, flicking the sweat from his forehead. “The longest day of the year’s this weekend.”

Ignis closed his eyes and breathed in. “The midsummer festival would be on by now. I used to love exploring it in the evenings, after I’d cooked Noct his dinner.”

“How come you never invited me to go with you?” Noctis demanded.

“I did one year, or have you forgotten? You spent the entire trip ignoring me and texting with Prompto, then abandoned me halfway through when he arrived.”

“Oh.” Noctis scratched his head sheepishly. “I totally don’t remember that.”

“I’m sure,” Ignis said, easing his backpack off his shoulders and wading through the river to the haven. “Is anyone hungry? I’ve packed a fair amount of food.”

“I could use a snack,” Prompto said, taking a few pictures of the others crossing the water before following.

“It’s already half past four,” Ignis said, glancing at his watch and lowering his arm. “Yet we’re only now getting to the hottest part of the day.”

“Don’t expect the night to offer much relief,” Gladio said. He sipped from his water bottle and watched Noctis recline into Prompto’s lap. “I think the coast is the only part of Cleigne that isn’t humid.”

“No,” Prompto whined. “Can’t we drive back before it gets dark? I mean, it doesn’t get dark until like ten right now, anyway!”

“Depends on how quickly we find the tomb. What we have to fight along the way. Whether we can find our way out of these woods as quickly as we came in.” Ignis laid out the containers of food within the circle formed by their bodies. “Let’s at least prepare ourselves for the possibility of spending the night here.”

“The creatures here haven’t been that bad so far,” Gladio said. “Remember when we said we’d hunt those coeurls in Duscae? I actually thought we were as good as cat food at one point.”

“Gods,” Noctis said, closing his eyes. “Those things were crazy strong. If Insomnia had only had an army of coeurls to guard it, we’d still be free today.”

“Not the most politically correct statement,” Ignis said. He leaned forward to slide two plates of fish sandwiches and apple slices to Noctis and Prompto. “But only a slight exaggeration.”

“Huh,” Prompto said. He was languidly stroking Noctis’s hair, smoothing it away from his face.

Noctis opened his eyes and looked up at him. “What?”

“Ah, I was just thinking about that night.”

“Oh.” Noctis turned his head slightly towards Prompto. “You mean how we had that talk on the roof of the motel?”

“Yeah.” Prompto traced his fingers down the side of Noctis’s face, pausing at his mouth. “Weird to think about that now. Feels like years ago.”

Noctis puckered his lips into a light kiss to Prompto’s fingers. “Not still worried you aren’t good enough for me, I hope.”

“Not as much.” Prompto’s hand came to rest on Noctis’s chest. “I—I’m working on it.”

“Eat, you two,” Ignis urged. He retrieved his maps from his backpack and began studying them.

“I think now that Iris knows about us, it’ll be easier for me to feel normal about it,” Prompto said. “She kept asking me questions and giving me advice in the garden earlier.” He smiled. “It’s really easy to talk to her about anything.”

“What?” Gladio said. “What’s this about Iris?”

“Um.” Prompto looked down at Noctis. “I—”

“I told her,” Noctis said, sitting up and facing Gladio. “She’d already guessed, so I wasn’t going to lie and tell her we aren’t together.”

Gladio looked down and shook his head. “No wonder she was off when we left.”

“She doesn’t have a problem with it,” Noctis said. He placed an apple slice in his mouth and finished chewing before continuing. “She’s really happy for us.”

“Of course,” Gladio said, rolling his eyes. “We’re all _so_ happy for you guys.”

“What’s with the attitude?” Noctis’s spine stiffened. “Why do you have to keep making all these snide comments? And Iris isn’t going to tell anyone.”

“Did you even stop to consider how she might feel before you blurted it out?” Gladio’s voice was just below a shout, yet sounded close to breaking. “You know she has feelings for you. She’s probably devastated.”

“She’s not!” Noctis yelled.

“Why didn’t you tell me before we left? I could have talked to her. Who knows what she’s going through right now? Doesn’t she have enough to deal with already without this as well?”

“Maybe,” Noctis said, standing up, “because I knew you’d react like this. What part of ‘this is my life’ do you have trouble understanding? It’s for me to decide whether I want to tell people!”

“Noct,” Ignis said. “Please, calm down. Gladio’s just concerned for his sister.”

“He raised his voice first.” Noctis shook his head. “I’m sorry if some silly fantasy of hers got stepped on, but I’m not going to lie anymore. You don’t know what that was like, Gladio. You _can’t_ know.”

“And I’ll run behind you and pick up the pieces,” Gladio mumbled, not meeting Noctis’s gaze. “Like I always do.”

“I apologized, okay? Just get over it.”

“You call that an apology?” Gladio placed his head in his hands. “Get out of my sight.”

“Gladly,” Noctis said. He turned to Prompto and yanked him up. “Let’s go, Prom.”

“Wait,” Ignis said, scrambling to his feet. “Let’s not do this.”

“We’ll start scouting the area,” Prompto said, as Noctis pulled him down the haven’s ramp with him. “We won’t go far, promise!”

Prompto watched Ignis until he’d raised his hand to wave them off, then turned his attention back to Noctis.

“You okay?” Prompto said, after they’d walked along the river in silence for several minutes and reached its confluence.

“No,” Noctis said sullenly.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“You’re on my side, right?” Noctis turned to him. “You don’t think I should lie about myself. About us.”

“No, of course I don’t.”

Noctis smiled and stopped walking. He leaned forward, but Prompto raised his hand to his chest to stop him.

“But I can sort of see what Gladio’s saying. I mean, Iris could just be putting on a brave face while actually being sad that she’ll never be with you.”

“It’s not any different from before,” Noctis said. “I was engaged to Luna. And anyway, I’m way too old for her.”

“I think finding out that you’re gay is a little different, you know? She could still hold out hope before.”

“Neither of you were there,” Noctis protested. “She was completely cool. This is just Gladio starting shit.”

“Noct,” Prompto said. “Imagine if, when you tried to kiss me in the alley in Lestallum, I’d pushed you away, told you I was straight and informed you that we were never going to happen. Wouldn’t that have felt, well, crap?”

“That’s not the same.”

“Isn’t it?”

Noctis turned and began to walk up the trail again, choosing the path along the tributary.

“Noct?” Prompto hurried after him and reached for his hand.

Noctis looked down. “It’s not the same. I feel—the way I feel about you, Prom—”

Prompto waited for him to continue, but Noctis trailed off into silence, staring up at the river. “You don’t know how Iris feels, though, do you? Have you ever talked about it?”

“That’s the point.” Noctis grasped his hand and continued walking. “We don’t really talk. We’re friends, sure, but not close.”

“Huh,” Prompto said.

“It’s not like you and me,” Noctis said. He paused, his arm tensing against Prompto’s. “You hear that?”

“The water? It’s getting louder.”

“The buzzing,” Noctis said quietly.

Prompto’s eyes darted around. “I don’t see anything.”

“Come here.” Noctis pulled Prompto with him to the trees, then surveyed the meadow around the river. “Let’s wait for a bit.”

“Do you think we maybe should have moved away from the trees?” Prompto whispered. “Don’t wasps nest in them?”

“And be out in the open instead?”

“Fair point.” Prompto pressed his chest into Noctis’s. “Just let me know when we should make a break for it. I’m ready.”

Noctis smiled and angled his chin down, brushing his nose into his. “What, now that I have you where I want you?”

“Wait.” Prompto looked around them, then back to Noctis. “Did you actually hear anything? Or were you just trying to change the subject?”

“I’m hurt,” Noctis said, smiling, kissing Prompto’s upper lip.

“Oh,” Prompto said, jerking his head toward the trees. “I just heard them too. Shit, they sound close.”

“They’re below us,” Noctis observed. He took Prompto’s hand and turned abruptly, kicking up the grass and moss beneath their feet. “Somewhere. Let’s keep walking up the hill.”

Prompto staggered after him; Noctis paused at the trail for him to regain his footing.

“I’m kind of regretting storming off now,” Noctis quipped.

“Are you mad that I brought up Iris in front of Gladio?” Prompto asked. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

“Nah.” Noctis paused at a bend in the river and looked at Prompto. “Don’t worry about it. Check this out.”

“Wow!” Prompto’s eyes widened at the sight of the waterfall. He fumbled with his camera’s lens cover. “I told you I heard water, right?”

Noctis slapped his arm; Prompto lowered the camera from his face and gave him an annoyed look. “Stop ruining my shot, dude.”

“Well, I’m not about to let you get eaten by bugs,” Noctis said, flicking his chin behind them. Prompto turned to see a swarm of wasps approaching from the woods and dropped his camera on its strap.

“Noct,” Prompto said apprehensively.

“We can do this, Prom.” Noctis summoned the Drain Lance and stood it beside them. “There aren’t that many of them.”

“Right.” Rebellion appeared in Prompto’s hands, and he looked over the gun in the seconds that remained. “I’ll follow your lead.”

“I trust you,” Noctis said. He delivered a hasty kiss to the edge of Prompto’s mouth before warping into the swarm, flourishing his lance flamboyantly upon arrival.

“I—” Prompto mouthed, then shook his head. He peered down the sight at the outskirts of the fight, aiming to cripple the wasps which Noctis hadn’t yet maimed.

“You’re doing great, babe!” Noctis called, once the first wasp had been dispatched and the others were regrouping for another assault.

“Pay attention!” Prompto shouted, aiming at a wasp that was approaching Noctis from behind.

Noctis whipped around and thrust his spear skyward, impaling the foe just before it reached him. “Thanks!”

Prompto smiled and jogged forward, looking for a better angle on the skirmish. When Noctis swung his lance in a wide arc, batting back a formation of three wasps, Prompto held his breath and lined up a shot that passed through two of them and lodged in the third, felling them all.

“Damn,” Noctis said, dropping his lance into the ether and placing his hands on his hips. “That was sexy.”

“Thanks,” Prompto said, standing up carefully. “Is it over?”

Noctis counted the corpses and listened to the wind. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s over.”

“I can’t believe we did that.” Prompto ambled to where Noctis was standing. “Just the two of us.”

Noctis’s look of panic froze Prompto in his tracks.

“What?” Prompto said. He turned in time to see one of the wasps floating just above the ground by his leg, thrusting its stinger into his thigh with its last bit of strength before expiring. After a moment of shock, Prompto screamed in agony and fell to his hands and knees.

“Prom,” Noctis said, rushing to his side and grasping his shoulder. “Roll over, come on.”

Noctis pushed him gently and held the back of his head as Prompto crumpled into the tall grass of the meadow, tears streaming down his face. After a moment's hesitation, Noctis reached down and began unbuckling Prompto’s belt.

“Gods,” Prompto gasped, his voice quavering. “Fuck, it hurts so much.”

“Hang on, Prom. I’m just going to look at where you got stung,” Noctis said. “You have an antidote in your bag? I didn’t bring my backpack.”

“I should.” Prompto clenched his teeth as Noctis pulled the waist of his pants past the swelling rash, abrading it. “Noct, hurry up!”

“Right,” Noctis said, grabbing in the darkness of the bag fruitlessly. “I guess—you’ll have to sit up to take the antidote.”

He finally dumped the contents of Prompto’s messenger bag into the grass and searched through them for the yellow vial.

“Noct,” Prompto said, his eyes rolling back in their sockets.

“Here,” he said, jerking Prompto up by the back of the neck and shoving the antidote to his mouth. “Come on, take it.”

Prompto grasped the vial weakly, helping Noctis guide it down his throat. Once it was empty, he relaxed back against Noctis’s arm and closed his eyes.

“What—what’s happening, Prom?” Noctis looked around his body, down to his leg and back again. “Say something!”

“It feels better,” Prompto murmured. “I think—I think that worked.”

Noctis watched his eyes darting around underneath his eyelids and the water beading off his hairline. He gently guided Prompto’s head back to the ground.

“You’re covered in sweat.” Noctis pulled off his T-shirt and used it to dab Prompto’s forehead. “And your face is flushed.”

Prompto opened his eyes. “You’ll ruin that shirt. It’s white.”

“Shut up,” Noctis said, slapping Prompto’s face with it playfully. “As if I care about that right now.”

“I feel really—” Prompto squinted and looked down at his leg. “Really hot. Burning up.”

“You think it’s the venom?”

“Maybe. The rash especially. The medicine numbed everything, but it still feels like my leg’s on fire.”

Noctis glanced up at the waterfall. “I’ll carry you to the water. You can stick your legs in and cool off.”

“I can walk there,” Prompto said, frowning.

“Don’t be difficult,” Noctis said. “Just let me help.”

“Okay, okay.” Prompto smiled wanly and raised his arms, swinging them around Noctis’s neck.

Noctis started edging his hands underneath him, then glanced down at his legs. “Oh, I should pull your shoes and pants off before we move. It won’t make much sense for you to put your legs in the water with those still on.”

Prompto snorted. “I bet you’re loving this.”

“It’s not the worst life-threatening situation we’ve been in,” Noctis said, flashing Prompto a grin. He unlaced and pulled off Prompto’s boots, then eased his pants over his feet.

“Feels weird,” Prompto commented.

“What, me undressing you?”

“No.” Prompto lay his head back and looked for shapes in the clouds. “I mean that feeling of lots of needles being in my feet. You think the antivenom’s doing that?”

“It could be the poison,” Noctis said, peeling off Prompto’s socks and laying them on top of his pants. “Luckily, I think the antidote counteracts its spread to the rest of the body.”

“Noct.”

“Yeah?” Noctis said, moving back to his side and sliding his hands underneath him again.

“I hate bugs.”

Noctis chuckled and kissed his forehead. Prompto wrapped his arms around Noctis’s neck again as the prince lifted him from the ground with obvious difficulty.

“Please don’t drop me,” Prompto said, as Noctis found his footing.

“Give me some credit,” Noctis grumbled. “I’ve lifted Titan, okay? I can handle this.”

“Of course.” Prompto nuzzled his face into Noctis’s armpit as they walked towards the water. “Well, feel free to carry me around any time, then.”

“Maybe I will,” Noctis said, pausing at the riverbank. “Wow, I can already feel the spray from the waterfall. You want to sit by it? Or stop here?”

Prompto sighed. “There should be a pool beneath the waterfall, right? I want to stick my legs into that. This heat is torture.”

“As you wish.” Noctis carried him several more metres, then gently set him down by a boulder that rose just above the water. “Can you walk?”

“Yeah. I’ll sit down here.” Prompto relaxed onto the rock and dipped his legs into the pool.

“Good?”

Prompto made a guttural noise in response and tilted his head back to the spraying water. Noctis reached down and stroked his wet, golden hair back along his scalp, smiling at the expression of pleasure on his face.

“Come sit with me, Noct,” Prompto said, without opening his eyes.

“Okay,” Noctis replied. He sat on an adjacent boulder and crossed his legs beneath him. “Your leg feeling better?”

“Loads. The burning’s gone.” Prompto’s eyes fluttered open as he turned to Noctis. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” Noctis said, averting his eyes. “It’s my fault it happened to you. I’m such an idiot.”

Prompto frowned. “Um, how do you figure that?”

“If I hadn’t had that dumb argument with Gladio and stormed off, you’d still be at camp, looking at pictures or something. And I didn’t even think to bring my backpack. What if you hadn’t had an antidote in your bag? You could’ve—” Noctis glanced up at him.

“Stop,” Prompto said, reaching for Noctis’s shoulder.

“No.” Noctis brushed him away. “I’d rather die than let anything happen to you, Prom. I knew this place was dangerous. I can’t believe how stupid I was.”

“Well, I did bring an antidote. And when you put all the things back in my bag that you dumped everywhere, you’ll see that I have potions, elixirs, even a couple phoenix downs in there.”

“And?”

“There are two of us, right? It’s not just you who has to solve everything.” Prompto slicked back a lock of hair that had fallen into his face. “Isn’t that part of being in a relationship?”

“That’s—a weird segue,” Noctis said. He looked up to the top of the waterfall, his eyes tracing the faint rainbow formed by the mist.

“Not really. Is it? Maybe my mind’s a little fuzzy right now.” Prompto swished his legs through the water. “You get what I’m saying, though, right? It worked out in the end.”

“I’ll be more prepared in the future,” Noctis said. “And less hasty. I’m not letting anything happen to you.”

Prompto sighed. “Fine, I don’t feel like debating with you right now. It’s too peaceful here.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said. He slid closer to Prompto along the slick rock and smiled. “Your hair looks really good like that.”

“What, with it slicked back?” Prompto ran his hand through it, forming a slight side part, and looked down into the pool. “Huh, I guess it’s not too bad.”

“Dapper,” Noctis suggested.

“Yeah. Hey, maybe I’ll wear my hair like this to any formal stuff we have to do.”

Noctis’s face lit up. “Like, as my date?”

“Yeah! Someday.” Prompto dropped his hands and looked back to the water. “I was more thinking for stuff I have to attend as your Crownsguard, for now at least.”

Noctis breathed in and looked up at the rainbow again.

“Noct,” Prompto began. “You asked me last night about my first kiss.”

“I said you didn’t have to tell me,” Noctis said, turning back to him.

“Nah, it’s fine. I was lying in bed last night, thinking there wasn’t any reason not to tell you. And I figure you knowing the truth is better than you guessing about it.”

“I’d completely forgotten about that, actually,” Noctis lied.

“Noct, I know you get obsessed with stuff,” Prompto said. “You get annoyed when you can’t find the answer to something.”

Noctis blushed and looked down. “So, you going to tell me or not?”

“Remember that summer you spent out of town? When your dad had you visit the different parts of Lucis?”

“Between junior and senior years,” Noctis said. “I couldn’t wait to get back to Insomnia.”

“Yeah. You’d call me in the evening each day and tell me how much you wanted to come back.”

“What?” Noctis scoffed. “I didn’t say that every day, did I?”

“Sometimes several times in one call,” Prompto said. “Or maybe I’m exaggerating. You know how I sometimes mix memories around.”

“You may actually be right about this one,” Noctis muttered.

“Anyway, I went to a party at Constantine’s place for Lucis Day. He was having a big barbecue.”

Noctis scratched his head. “Constantine’s house had a pool, right? I remember his parents were loaded.”

“Yup. And a hot tub.” Prompto stared down at his reflection. “Well, I drank a lot at the party. I was seventeen and no one had told me I was a lightweight yet.”

“How much?”

“A few beers and a few shots. Maybe three of each?”

Noctis gaped at him. “ _You_ drank that much? How were you still standing?”

“No idea.” Prompto snorted and swung his leg around violently, muddling his reflection. “I was a mess by the end of the night. I was talking to Sophia for a long time, and we ended up making out for a while. And like, touching each other.”

“When you say—”

“No, we just like, felt each other through our clothes. Nothing more than that.”

“Okay,” Noctis said, not bothering to disguise his relief.

“Honestly, I barely remember anything about it, other than that it happened. And there wasn’t any reason to tell you before now.”

“Of course not,” Noctis murmured. He pondered this for a few seconds, then looked up at Prompto again. “Was there anyone else?”

“Nope,” Prompto said. “I think I spent too much time with you for there to be. You know, I used to regret that a little—spending all my time with you in high school, not finding a girlfriend. Just a little.”

“And now?”

“Now, I think everything’s worked out really well.” Prompto leaned back on his hands and stretched his spine. “I like having you as my boyfriend. It feels right.”

Noctis smiled at him, then looked down at his hands as the conversation lulled. He watched the ripples on the water from the languid motions of Prompto’s legs, listened to the drumming of the droplets into the pool around them.

“Remember that time I asked you to dinner freshman year?” Noctis finally said. “When I picked you up at your house and brought flowers for your mom?”

“Yeah.” Prompto let out a brief laugh at the memory. “She about passed out, receiving flowers from the crown prince.”

“They were really for you,” Noctis said, looking up. His eyes were more open and vulnerable than Prompto had ever seen them.

Prompto slipped off his tank top and tossed it onto the riverbank, then slid forward from his boulder, stepping into the waist-high water. He moved to where Noctis was sitting and placed his hands on Noctis’s thighs, angling his chin up for a kiss.

“I never would’ve guessed how much of a romantic you are,” Prompto said softly, once Noctis’s lips left his. “It makes me feel—I don’t know. I want to say tingly, but I’m afraid you’ll get concerned about my leg again.”

Noctis laughed. “You can’t blame me for worrying.”

Prompto stroked Noctis’s waist, his eyes roving across his bare chest. “The water’s nice, you know.”

“Coming,” Noctis said simply. He scrambled up to his knees to pull off his shoes and socks, throwing them haphazardly across the grass, before unbuckling his pants and yanking them off. He nearly slipped on the rock while trying to get the first leg of his jeans loose, earning a giggle from Prompto. Butterflies floated out of the path of his discarded clothing.

“I—” Noctis looked down at the bulge tenting his boxers. “Sorry.”

Prompto extended his hand to Noctis and guided him down into the water. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Noctis said, once he’d reached Prompto. They floated at the center of the pool, their feet just above the riverbed. “Just felt self-conscious.”

Prompto took his hand beneath the water and guided it to his underwear, wrapping Noctis’s fingers around his erection. “How about now?”

“Damn.” Noctis gulped and looked down, seeing in the slow current their reflection, the azure sky above them.

“Come over here,” Prompto said. Noctis bobbed across the water to him and sank into his arms, their bodies aligning from brow to foot. Prompto let out a deep sigh into Noctis’s ear.

“You make me feel tingly, Prom,” Noctis whispered. He adjusted his hand, grasping both of their lengths together.

“Thief,” Prompto said, kissing his ear.

“I wish I’d been brave back then,” Noctis said, stroking slowly. “I should have told you how I felt.”

“Shh.” Prompto’s hands traveled down Noctis’s spine, eventually reaching the cleft of his ass. His fingers slid below the elastic and rubbed tentatively between Noctis’s cheeks.

“Fuck,” Noctis growled, arching his back. His hand gripped around their cocks like a vise.

“I found something you like,” Prompto teased, grabbing fistfuls of Noctis’s buttocks and squeezing.

“I want a turn at that,” Noctis said, his eyes burning into Prompto’s. “Your ass is incredible.”

“Maybe later,” Prompto said, withdrawing his hands from Noctis’s boxers. “I have another idea.”

“Oh?”

“I want to try sucking you off,” Prompto said, rubbing along Noctis’s back.

“You—you do?” Noctis stopped stroking and brought his hand back to his side, his face reddening. “I might not last long. I already feel pretty close.”

Prompto grabbed Noctis’s hand and turned toward the waterfall. “Come on. You worry too much.”

They floated past the deepest point of the pool, eventually reaching the boulders around and behind the waterfall’s flow. The river sputtered down onto their heads.

“Here,” Prompto said, once they’d passed through the waterfall. A shallow cave greeted them, the sun in the water reflecting into an iridescent array of lights across its roof. Prompto turned to Noctis and lifted him by the waist in a single swift motion, placing him carefully on a nearby boulder.

“You brute,” Noctis said, grinning down at him. “Throwing me around with your freakishly large arms.”

Prompto reached forward and tugged Noctis’s boxers down toward him, placing them on the boulder once they were off. The prince sat before him, completely nude, his hand around his wet, stiff cock, watching him.

“I’ve never done this before,” Prompto said. “If I do anything wrong, just—you have to tell me. I don’t want it to be bad.”

“Don’t worry,” Noctis said, reaching out and stroking his hair. “I already told you, this is the first time for me too.”

Prompto floated forward and pushed Noctis’s legs apart, coming to rest at the edge of the rocks. He wrapped his arms around Noctis’s waist and pulled him forward gently. Now eye-to-eye with Noctis’s cock, he stuck his tongue forward to lick the bead of pre-come into his mouth.

“Ugh,” Noctis said, covering his face with his hands. “Feel like I’m going to bust right now.”

“Should I stop?”

“Please don’t,” Noctis said through his palms. “It feels incredible.”

Prompto touched the tip of his tongue to Noctis’s slit, lapping at it as Noctis’s groans echoed against the cave walls. He moved in a circle spiraling outwards to the ridge of Noctis’s foreskin and slid his tongue underneath it, rolling it between his lips and tongue while sucking gently.

“Prom, you’re driving me crazy,” Noctis said. He leaned back on his arms and tensed his abs.

“You’re so big, Noct,” Prompto mumbled, stroking his shaft, admiring his bulbous, maroon head.

“Flatterer.” Noctis let out a sharp breath. “I’ve felt you, you’re definitely bigger.”

Prompto didn’t respond, instead wrapping his lips around the head of Noctis’s cock and sucking. He glanced up. Noctis’s eyes were wide open, his mouth slack. Prompto leaned forward; his lips made it halfway down Noctis’s length before he gagged and floated back.

“You okay?” Noctis asked, looking down in concern.

“That’s a lot harder than it looks,” Prompto said.

Noctis smirked. “What do you mean, ‘than it looks?’”

“Oh Shiva,” Prompto said. “We’re past that point, aren’t we? I’m literally giving you a blow job. And it’s not like _you_ haven’t watched porn.”

“Okay, okay,” Noctis said. “Sheesh.”

“Sorry,” Prompto said. He returned his lips to Noctis’s cock and watched for his reaction.

“It’s nothing,” Noctis said, smiling. He brushed Prompto’s fringe to the side, away from his face.

After a few attempts to take more of Noctis’s shaft, Prompto returned his attention to his tip. He peeled back Noctis’s foreskin carefully and traced around the edge of his head, squeezing out several more drops of pre-come, then pointed his cock towards the ceiling and licked at his frenulum.

“Fuck,” Noctis said. His thighs moved against Prompto’s shoulders. Prompto looked up as Noctis gently pushed his head to the side and took himself in hand, ejaculating over Prompto’s shoulder into the clear waters seconds later.

“Wow,” Prompto said, watching Noctis’s shaking fingers. “That went pretty far.”

“Probably because I’ve never been more turned on,” Noctis said. The light on the water played across the flushed skin of his chest and neck. “Well, until you ask me to reciprocate, that is.”

“Oh.” Prompto rubbed Noctis's upper thigh. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

“Then come up here,” Noctis said, reaching out his hands. “Give me your cock.”

Prompto clambered up onto the rocks, drenching Noctis with water. “Crap, I’ve made you all wet.”

Noctis pawed at Prompto’s briefs, dragging them down his thighs and dropping them next to his own underwear. He stopped to make sure that the swelling from the sting had gone down before looking up at Prompto. “Straddle me. Get me wet, Prom.”

Prompto swung his leg over Noctis’s body and inched forward, aiming his cock at the prince’s waiting lips.

“Gods,” Noctis said. “You are bigger. Thicker, at least.”

Noctis grabbed and squeezed Prompto’s buttocks, pushing his shaft deep into his mouth. Prompto’s eyes widened at the sight of the bulge in Noctis’s cheek.

“I’m not as much of an artist as you, Prom,” Noctis said quietly, glancing up, taking a breath. “I just want as much of you inside me as possible.”

“Man,” Prompto said, entranced by his lustful eyes. He placed his hands on either side of Noctis's head and massaged his fingers into his damp hair. He didn’t realize he was coming until his hips jerked, too late to warn Noctis.

“Gods yes,” Noctis said hungrily. His arms locked Prompto in place as he sucked down his seed. “Give it to me.”

“Noct,” Prompto said, crumpling backward onto his haunches. “I—damn it, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Don’t be,” Noctis said, wiping his mouth and licking at the back of his hand. “I was going to swallow you regardless.”

“You—” Prompto looked back at him. “Oh.”

“Now a part of you is inside me.” Noctis glanced down at their underwear. “Is that weird?”

“No,” Prompto said. He smiled as he replayed Noctis’s words in his mind. “I—wow. Noct?”

“Yeah?”

“You make me tingly.”

Noctis winked at him. “Come on, let’s wash off.”

They slid into the plunge pool and showered in the flow of the waterfall. Noctis floated back to the boulder to retrieve his boxers and Prompto’s briefs, pausing for a few seconds to fix this place in his memory.

“Let’s go,” Noctis said, once he reached Prompto just outside the waterfall. They swam to the bank and emerged from the water still nude.

“This is the guy,” Prompto said, wringing out his briefs over the river, “who was paranoid about standing outside in his boxers a week ago. Tonight, he’ll go to sleep without a tan line.”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere here, Prom, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Noctis pulled his jeans on, then his dirty white T-shirt. “Bit of a difference.”

“Uh-huh,” Prompto said. He pulled on his tank top and followed Noctis down the trail.

“It’s cooling down a little,” Noctis commented, pulling Prompto to his side. “We should get back to the haven.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said. They reached the site of the fight against the wasps; Noctis helped Prompto dress himself, then began to pick up and replace the contents of Prompto’s messenger bag.

“I’ll do it,” Noctis said, when Prompto bent over for his camera and winced. “Just relax.”

Prompto sat in the meadow and watched Noctis work. “Noct?”

“Yeah?”

“You know how you’ve been calling me ‘babe’ today?”

Noctis looked up and flicked his hair away from his face. “You don’t like it?”

“No. I mean, I do like it.” Prompto twisted his finger around the stem of a purple wildflower, plucking it once he reached the root. “I was thinking of doing it too? Sometimes.”

Noctis finished filling the bag and walked to Prompto’s side, offering him his hand. “I’d like that, babe,” he said, pulling Prompto up.

“Here,” Prompto said.

“What?” Noctis looked down at his hand.

“It’s a ring I made,” Prompto said, sliding the wildflower around Noctis’s little finger.

“Are we married now?” Noctis joked, holding out his hand in front of them.

“Wrong finger, babe.” Prompto kissed his cheek and began walking back to the trail.

Noctis smiled and jogged after him. As they reached the bend in the river, he saw Ignis’s wispy figure near the bottom of the hill.

“Iggy!” Prompto shouted. He raised both hands above his head and waved.

“Thank the gods,” Ignis said, doubling over once he reached them. “We’ve been looking for you for hours. Gladio feels terribly guilty.”

“Why?” Noctis said. “I was just as much in the wrong. I was going to apologize to him as soon as we saw each other, actually.”

“That makes me happy, Noct,” Ignis said. “I hate to see you two fighting.”

“I know, Ignis.” Noctis resumed walking down the slope.

“What’s wrong?” Ignis said to Prompto. “Why are you walking like that?”

“I got stung by a wasp,” Prompto said. “We had an antidote, though.”

“I’m glad you were prepared.” Ignis raised his index finger to the air. “Ah, I nearly forgot. We found the royal tomb whilst searching for you. But it’s guarded by a bandersnatch.”

“A what?”

“It’s—a difficult creature to describe. Let’s reunite with Gladio, and we can devise a plan.” He proceeded down the trail, Noctis and Prompto lagging slightly behind.

“So,” Noctis said, bumping into Prompto’s arm. “I guess we are staying the night.”

“At least wasps can’t get into the tent.” Prompto turned to him. “Maybe you can hold _me_ tonight.”

Noctis adjusted Prompto’s bag on his shoulder. “I think I can manage that.”

“Well, let’s go get your weapon,” Prompto said. He twined his hand into his, the friction between their skin and the flower stem around Noctis’s finger a fleeting memento of the heat of the day.


	27. Possibilities

Noctis glanced down at the dial in annoyance. “Just choose something.”

“Dude, I’m trying!” Prompto flicked his wrist to the next channel. “Just haven’t found anything good yet.”

“I liked that electronic song,” Noctis said. “Go back to that.”

“That song’s so overplayed,” Prompto said. “I want something fresh.”

Noctis shrugged and brought both hands to the steering wheel again. Prompto turned the dial once more, landing on the plaintive saxophone melody of a jazz tune.

“Fresh, huh?” Noctis jeered. “This is my dad’s music.”

“You’ll appreciate it one day, Noct,” Ignis called from the seat behind him. “Once your tastes become a bit more sophisticated.”

“Think so?” Noctis looked up at Ignis’s closed eyes in the rear-view mirror. “I hate when you say that. Just makes me want to prove you wrong.”

“This is kind of nice, actually,” Prompto said, withdrawing his hand from the dashboard. “Classy.”

“You should wear your beret while you listen to it,” Noctis said. “Poseur.”

Prompto opened his mouth to respond, then turned away to the passing ocean and stayed silent.

Gladio looked up from his book. “What’s eating you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Noctis said back to him. He slid his right hand off the steering wheel and fumbled past the gear stick to Prompto’s thigh. “Sorry, babe. Sometimes I just get upset when things remind me of him.”

“’Babe,’” Gladio imitated, his voice lilting. He smirked and returned his gaze to the page. “Calm down, tiger.”

Prompto turned his head slightly and reached for the radio’s power button, pushing it off. He turned back to the door without looking at Noctis. “It’s—it’s fine. We don’t have to listen to anything.”

Noctis looked at his back, then reached up to turn the radio back on. The smoky warble of a contralto blared out as Noctis pressed the volume higher. “I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have snapped at you. We can listen to jazz if you want. Okay?”

An oncoming car honked at them; the Regalia swerved as Noctis moved it back into their lane.

“Noct!” Ignis opened his eyes and sat bolt upright. “Eyes on the road!”

“I know!” Noctis yelled. He sank down into the driver’s seat and gripped the steering wheel. The song climbed its trumpet crescendo as the Regalia rounded the lazy curve of a seaside cliff.

“It’s okay, Noct.” Prompto turned the music down and rubbed Noctis’s shoulder. Noctis gave him a quick smile, then turned his eyes forward again.

“Best not to distract him, Prompto,” Ignis said.

“What?” Prompto looked back at the other two between the front seats. “Why are you blaming me?”

“It’s not his fault,” Noctis said.

Gladio threw Ignis a wry smile. “He distracts him just by being there, Iggy.”

“Indeed. Perhaps we’ll have to pack him in the boot whenever it’s Noct’s turn to drive.”

“Oh, my sides,” Prompto said, glaring.

Ignis reached around in the cooler for an Ebony. “Can you see if there’s any news, Prompto?”

“Can do,” Prompto said, turning the radio up again and moving the dial. “I think there’s a news station on one of the lower numbers.”

_—and her team of researchers predict that the population of the orange-bellied Duscae frog will reach critically endangered levels by the end of the decade. The cause of the mass die-off continues to puzzle biologists, who are racing to preserve the amphibians before there are too few left to sustain the species in the wild. Voice of Lucis will return with more of the day’s headlines, after this short break._

“Bet they’re talking about Sania,” Gladio said.

“Hey, are we part of her ‘team of researchers?’” Prompto said brightly. “Maybe she’ll mention us in her book.”

“What did you do, exactly?” Noctis teased. “I caught them all.”

“I—” Prompto crossed his arms. “I pointed out the ones I saw to you! And she said she liked some of my pictures.”

“I stand corrected,” Noctis said, grinning.

“Yeah,” Prompto replied, jabbing him in the waist. Noctis yelped and let out a sharp laugh as he swung his torso away from Prompto’s finger. “Yeah, you do.”

_And now, the headlines of the hour. With the safety of Lady Lunafreya now officially confirmed by the Altissian government, Tenebraen representatives have lodged an official diplomatic protest over not being permitted to freely communicate with the Oracle in her undisclosed location within the city. While Altissian representatives had no comment as of yet, Lucian analysts have told VL that they suspect the Empire is behind the diplomatic row._

“Well, I could have told them that,” Noctis said. “They should hire me as an analyst.”

Ignis sighed and shook his head; Gladio rolled his eyes.

_The news of the Oracle’s safety comes on the heels of multiple sightings of Crown Prince Noctis in Lestallum in the weeks following the Fall of Insomnia. Multiple eyewitness reports place him at various locations around the city, often in the company of several other men who match the description of his Crownsguard. VL has interviewed several witnesses over this period of time but has been unable to independently confirm their accounts._

“Well,” Ignis said. “We’ve hardly put a great deal of effort into remaining incognito.”

“Shouldn’t everyone know who I am?” Noctis said, looking at Ignis in the mirror. “I’m still amazed when they don’t.”

“Your ego is what amazes me,” Gladio said, placing his book on his lap and running his fingers through his hair.

_Althea Clark, 17, claims that she saw Noctis in the city’s main square. “It was late at night; I was here with some friends of mine for a snack between study sessions. We saw him walk right by the skewer cart we were eating at, holding hands with a cute blond guy!”_

“Oh gods,” Gladio said, dragging his hands down his face.

_“I instantly knew it was him. Nope, no doubt in my mind. Like, I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but I have posters and photographs of Prince Noctis all over my walls. I know every feature of his perfectly!”_

“Well, good to know I have fans,” Noctis said dryly.

“My impression is that you’re quite the heartthrob in the teen magazines, actually,” Ignis said. “Just based on the covers I’ve skimmed at newsstands.”

“What, you didn’t buy any?” Noctis shook his head. “I’m crushed.”

_“So, my guess is that the blond guy was the one you see with him in photos sometimes. I think they were classmates? But they definitely looked like boyfriends when I saw them. Oh my gods, a gay prince, how cool is that?”_

Noctis flicked off the radio. “Enough with this yellow journalism.”

“This is not good,” Gladio said slowly.

“Noct and I weren’t even together yet when we were last in Lestallum,” Prompto said. “Don’t get mad at him.”

“What’s the point in even trying to manage it now?” Gladio asked, turning to Ignis. “He clearly doesn’t want to cooperate, and it’s all over the airwaves.”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.” Noctis slowed the car down to take a hairpin turn along a cliff. “Didn’t you hear what Prompto just said? We only got together after we left Lestallum.”

“None of that really matters now, I’m afraid,” Ignis sighed. “Perception is reality for a great many people. At the moment, we can neither do much about it, nor is it our primary concern. I propose we, well, do nothing.”

“Alright!” Prompto thrust his arm at Ignis between the seats and stuck his thumb in the air. “Now that’s a plan I can get behind.”

“I thought I was the plan you could get behind,” Noctis said, winking at him.

“That too.” Prompto squeezed his upper arm through his jacket. The sun broke through the clouds as they began a slow descent toward the bridge to Cape Caem.

“Noct,” Ignis said, raising his hand to shade his eyes. “Let’s stop at that produce stand ahead. I’m sure Monica would be glad for some fresh vegetables.”

“What?” Noctis said, cupping his hand to his ear. “I didn’t hear that. Must be the wind!”

“You can hear me perfectly well,” Ignis said, crossing his arms. “Slow down or you’ll miss the parking spot.”

Noctis sighed. “Fine, we’ll stop for your vegetables.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t buy too many.” Ignis looked through the cooler as the car rolled to a stop. “We’ll only be here for another day or two, anyway.”

Ignis and Gladio strolled from the Regalia to the produce stand; Gladio raised his hand to the merchant, who waved to them before looking down at his book again. Noctis walked up to Prompto at the side of the car and wrapped his arms around him from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Hi,” Prompto said, looking up from his camera to touch his head briefly to Noctis’s.

“What’re you looking at?”

“Oh, just wondering how I can free up space. Hopefully I can find another memory card in Altissia. I wonder if they even use the same kind of cameras as us?”

“If we’d known we weren’t coming back home, we could’ve stocked up on those.” Noctis hugged him tighter. “Don’t erase stuff. I want to save all the memories from this trip.”

“I’m just deleting duplicates, shots with lighting problems. That kind of stuff.” Prompto looked down at him. “We’ll go back home one day, Noct.”

“You know what I meant.” Noctis sighed. “I can’t say I haven’t thought about it, though.”

“What?”

“Running away. Leaving everything behind. Living my own life somewhere else. Well, with you, I mean.”

Prompto blushed and shook his head. “Oh, Noct.”

“I know it’s impossible.” Noctis kissed his neck, then stepped back and released him. “I just wish it weren’t.”

“It’s like how I always say I wish things could go back to how they used to be, before we left the Crown City.” Prompto turned off his camera and slid it into his bag. “I don’t think that’s what I actually mean, though.”

“Oh yeah?” Noctis leaned back onto the Regalia’s hood and inched his feet forward into the dirt.

“Yeah, I mean, I like the way things are now in some ways.” Prompto glanced down Noctis’s body, pausing.

“I bet,” Noctis said, watching him.

“I just—I’m just sick of killing things. And of things trying to kill us. And of sleeping on the ground. And no showers for days.”

Noctis chuckled and motioned Prompto towards him. He moved between Noctis’s legs and collapsed into his arms, resting his head on his shoulder.

“Waking up before six,” Prompto continued, leaning his weight into Noctis’s right arm. “And spending the entire day in the car. Walking for hours in the rain. Being sunburnt all the time.”

“I know,” Noctis said softly, rubbing Prompto’s back. “I know.”

Prompto made a short choking sound and rubbed his eyes. Noctis felt the wet warmth of Prompto’s tears as he nudged his face into the prince’s neck.

“I’m sorry, Noct. I know I complain a lot. I know I’m not strong like you guys. I just get so tired sometimes. That’s—” He lifted his head to look into Noctis’s eyes. “That’s when I wish we were back home.”

“Prompto,” Noctis murmured. He pulled the glove from his left hand and wiped Prompto’s tears from his cheeks with the backs of his fingers. Prompto looked back at him, waiting for him to continue, but Noctis simply stroked his face, the moment unspooling in silence.

“You could contradict me,” Prompto said, his lip crooking into a smile.

“You’re amazing,” Noctis replied, rubbing his thumb into Prompto’s dimple. “You already know I think that. I couldn’t do any of this without you.”

Prompto snorted. “Now that’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one.”

Noctis shook his head slightly. “It isn’t. And I’ll tell you it every day until you stop putting yourself down, if I have to.”

“Please don’t,” Prompto said, blushing.

“Besides,” Noctis said, tracing the Cupid’s bow of Prompto’s lip. “I’m pretty sure it’s actually impossible to complain more than I do.”

Prompto let out a peal of laughter and relaxed against Noctis’s leg. “Good point.”

The merchant’s voice drifted by, interrupting their conversation. “You hear the news on the radio? The prince, a little nancyboy. Lucis just can’t catch a break.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear, my good man,” Ignis responded. The merchant put down his book and began tallying their purchase. “How much were these courgettes again?”

Noctis’s hand slipped from Prompto’s face; he glared at the produce stand, his legs stirring to action.

“I’ll be right back,” Noctis muttered, shifting under Prompto’s weight.

“Just ignore him,” Prompto said, pressing down on Noctis’s thigh firmly.

“Why should I be ashamed?” Noctis pushed against Prompto’s abdomen and looked back at him. “Let me go, Prom.”

Prompto darted forward abruptly, planting his lips on Noctis’s with enough force to tilt his head back. Noctis gripped Prompto’s arm for a moment before going slack and opening his mouth to let him in. Prompto raised his hand to the back of the prince’s head, cradling it as he relaxed in his arms, kissing him deeply.

“Gods above!” The merchant shouted. “What kind of sick freaks are you four?”

“How dare you,” Ignis said, throwing the vegetables in his hands to the counter. “We won’t be buying anything. Good day.”

“As if I’d sell anything to the likes of you! Good riddance!”

Noctis and Prompto looked at the other two as they returned to the car. Gladio placed a hand on each of their necks, guiding them to the back seat, then opened the passenger door and got in.

“You can blame me,” Prompto said, once they’d pulled onto the highway again and Ignis was adjusting the rear-view mirror. “It was all my idea. Noct didn’t even know I was going to kiss him.”

“He did it to stop me from confronting that guy,” Noctis said. “It’s my fault.”

“The two of you did nothing wrong,” Ignis said to Noctis through the mirror. “He was out of order.”

“Fuck that guy,” Gladio agreed, putting on his sunglasses. “No one talks about my friends like that and gets anything from me. He’s lucky I didn’t deck him.”

Noctis smiled at the two of them, then squeezed Prompto’s hand across the back seat.

“A pity, I had quite an inspired casserole lined up for tonight as well,” Ignis said.

“Vegetables are bad enough,” Noctis mused. “Homophobic vegetables are another layer of awful.”

Gladio slapped his hand to his forehead. “You’re becoming as bad as Iggy with the puns.”

“What?” Prompto giggled and punched Noctis’s arm. “’Homophobic vegetables?’ How do you come up with this stuff?”

Noctis grinned and grabbed his hand. “Come over here. Switch places with the cooler.”

Ignis sighed and slowed the Regalia. “Be careful.”

“Yup.” Prompto unbuckled his seat belt and lifted the cooler onto his lap, then slid to the middle seat and dropped it against the door.

Noctis waited for Prompto to finish adjusting the seat belt before wrapping his arm around his shoulder and pulling him toward him. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Prompto got comfortable against Noctis’s chest, then looked up at the driver’s seat. “How much longer till we’re there?”

“Only twenty minutes or so,” Ignis replied. “We’re nearly at the bridge.”

“Woohoo!” Prompto tapped Noctis’s thigh. “Almost bath time.”

Noctis kissed Prompto’s forehead. “What, you didn’t like our bath yesterday?”

Prompto’s face reddened. “Noct!”

“So that’s what you two were doing all that time,” Gladio said, chuckling. “And I was worrying that you’d become bandersnatch food.”

“I told you we got attacked by wasps, actually,” Prompto said indignantly. He turned to Noctis and slapped his abs. “Can you be a little less, like, public with stuff like that?”

“It’s just Gladio and Ignis,” Noctis said. “Besides, you’re cute when you’re blushing.”

Gladio groaned. “It’s like listening to my sixteen-year-old self trying to pick up a girl.”

“Noct,” Prompto said, his voice lower.

“Okay, fine,” Noctis said, pushing Prompto’s head back to his shoulder. “You know I get carried away. But I’ll try to embarrass you less often.”

“That doesn’t fill me with confidence,” Prompto muttered into his armpit.

Noctis pressed his lips to Prompto’s ear. “Maybe confidence isn’t what I want to fill you with.”

Prompto chuckled. “You can take the first shower. Make it a cold one.”

The Regalia slowed as they rolled over the slight bump that marked the beginning of the bridge above Spelcray Haven. Ignis turned on the radio. “Prompto, where was that jazz station?”

“Don’t tell him,” Noctis quipped.

Prompto snorted and looked up from Noctis’s shoulder. “It was like, 103-something, I think.”

“What a great view,” Gladio said, turning in his seat to look out at the water. “Glad the clouds finally cleared up.”

“His Majesty and I chatted about jazz on occasion,” Ignis said wistfully, glancing at Noctis in the mirror again, once he had found the station. A soulful trombone line played from the car’s speakers.

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Sounds fascinating.”

“Oh, it was. I got deeply into jazz as a teenager. Even tried my hand at jazz piano for a bit.”

“You know,” Noctis said, scratching his chin. “Now that you mention it, I do remember you leaving early for piano lessons for a while.”

“Did he ever tell you why he enjoyed jazz so much?” Ignis peered back at him, squinting in the sun.

“No. We didn’t really talk about him very often.”

“The way he told it, he loved going to Insomnia’s jazz clubs as a young man, twenty-five years ago or thereabouts. I should have loved to have been around then; it was truly the second golden age of jazz.”

Noctis yawned. “I hope you’re getting to the point soon.”

“Yes, yes.” Ignis adjusted his grip on the steering wheel and briefly looked down. “He said, you know, that their love of jazz was one of the things he and your mother bonded over. Their first date was at a jazz club a few streets from the Citadel.”

“My mom?” Noctis stopped stroking Prompto’s arm. Prompto lifted his head from his shoulder to look up at him.

“He’d often tell me that certain records would remind him of her. When I had cause to call at his chambers in the evenings for something involving your care, I’d always hear him playing these same songs through the door.” Ignis turned up the radio slightly. “This singer, Lady Day, was their favorite.”

Noctis didn’t reply, instead gazing past Prompto’s head at the ocean.

“Babe,” Prompto was saying. Noctis blinked and looked back at him. “You okay?”

“Not really. It’s just—why couldn’t he ever tell me stuff like this?” Noctis said. “Why was he such a stranger to his own son? No offense, Ignis, but it’s kind of weird that you know him better than I do.”

“I—I hardly think that’s true,” Ignis scoffed. “Apart from our shared love of music, I knew very little of the man.”

“It is. He never talked about my mom with me. I don’t know anything about her, or about them.”

Ignis sighed and pressed down on the accelerator as they came off the bridge. “I’m afraid this is a question I cannot answer, Noct.”

“It’s alright.” Noctis exhaled and hung his head. “I don’t expect you to.”

“Try not to obsess over it.” Gladio glanced back at him. “You could work on letting things go.”

“I guess I’ll have eternity to demand answers from him, once I get sealed into the Crystal along with all the other Caelums,” Noctis said darkly.

“I’m glad this car ride’s ending just as Noct’s getting morbid.” Gladio typed out a text to Iris as the lighthouse came into view.

“If you were part of my family, you’d get morbid too. It kind of comes with the territory.”

Gladio chuckled. “Fair point.”

“You know, I’m glad I’m gay,” Noctis said. “This way, I won’t be responsible for dragging another life into my ancestors’ weirdness.”

Ignis and Gladio exchanged a glance across the front seat.

“You can’t seriously think I’m going to have children,” Noctis said, watching them. “Do I have to review basic biology with you?”

“Maybe we should review basic common sense with you, then,” Gladio said flatly. “Because the kingdom will end if you don’t produce an heir.”

“So?” Noctis mumbled, looking down as the car pulled into the shoulder at Caem.

“Just leave him be,” Ignis said to Gladio. “We have years and years until this will even be an issue.”

“Yeah, and I’ll still be gay,” Noctis spat. Prompto, silent until now, laughed at his side, his chest vibrating against Noctis’s arm.

“I’ll go check in with Cid, see how the ship’s coming along,” Gladio said. He popped the trunk to retrieve his suitcase, then hefted the cooler to his shoulder and walked towards the house.

Ignis stretched beside the car, then patted Noctis’s arm. “Let’s head inside, shall we? We should make the most of our time before we set sail.”

Noctis watched him walk off with his suitcase, then glanced down at Prompto and nudged him with his shoulder. “We’re here.”

“I know,” Prompto murmured. He rubbed the side of Noctis’s chest beneath his jacket. “I’m just comfortable.”

“Ah.” Noctis kissed the crown of his head. “We can stay here as long as you want, then.”

Prompto unbuckled his seat belt and moved closer; Noctis leaned into the crook of the door and brought his arms around Prompto’s chest. A lone convertible drove by, producing an ephemeral gust of warm wind against the dirt below them, leaving the Regalia in silence again in its wake.

“I was thinking about that produce guy while the three of you were talking,” Prompto said.

“Yuck. I kind of wanted to forget about him, actually.”

“Oh, sorry.” Prompto paused, then slid his hand into Noctis’s and rubbed his thumb over the prince’s fingers. “I realized that that was the first time I’d experienced anything like that. Directed at me, I mean.”

Noctis shifted slightly against the upholstery as he pulled his seat belt off. “Really? No silly taunts in school? I swear every male member of the student population was accused of being gay by our less intelligent classmates at some point.”

“Oh no, of course that happened,” Prompto said, rolling his eyes. “You kidding? With all the time we spent together, people constantly said stupid stuff to me in the halls.”

“What?” Noctis looked down at him. “Why didn’t you tell me anything? I could have stopped them.”

“Because it was embarrassing, because I thought you might not want to be my friend anymore if it became inconvenient, because I didn’t want to run to you for every problem, because it wasn’t worth it.” The rationales rolled off Prompto’s tongue as if he had practiced them for years. “Take your pick.”

Noctis frowned. “What kind of stuff did they say?”

“I knew you’d get like this if I told you,” Prompto sighed.

“Well, congratulations on being right.” Noctis nudged him with his arm. “Come on.”

“I don’t know. There was usually a lot of pointed whispering around school. And I’d get drawings passed to me every so often of two penises or something equally clever, which I’d always just throw away. Some people would make, like, cock sucking gestures when the two of us walked by and they thought I wasn’t looking. You never caught anyone doing that?”

“Oh.” Noctis chuckled. “Yeah, I did. I saw Octavianus doing that once in the courtyard and turned and walked over to him. He slipped on the gravel while running away. Felt good.”

“Gaius was the worst. He’d come up to me at my locker and ask me how your dick tasted, whether I was the pitcher or catcher, what name I would choose when I became your princess. Total moron.”

“Sounds repressed or something. Maybe he was working through his sexuality,” Noctis joked.

“If so, I really pity any guy he ends up with.”

Noctis looked down at Prompto. “You should have told me about all this. Or Gaius, at least. He was always giving me nasty looks; now I know why. Of course he was too much of a coward to say anything to me.”

“I don’t know. It didn’t really bother me that much, because I knew I wasn’t gay, and being your friend mattered more to me than any of the stuff people said about us.”

“Prom, I don’t tell you enough how amazing you are,” Noctis said, squeezing his hand.

“What? You literally said it less than an hour ago!”

“Still not enough,” Noctis said, leaving kisses along Prompto’s hairline.

“Sometimes I wouldn’t mind the old, sulky Noctis back,” Prompto said, his face flushing. “You’re so over the top.”

“Oh? I don’t think so.”

Prompto cleared his throat. “Anyway, about that produce guy’s remarks. They made me realize that you’ve had to deal with that sort of thing ever since you realized who you are. I mean, probably not to your face, but every time you heard some homophobic remark, it had to have hurt way more than Gaius’s bullying bothered me.”

Noctis shrugged. “You get used to it.”

“That—” Prompto sat up and looked at him. “That’s it?”

“What do you want me to do, Prom, personally lecture every single idiot? I only was going to confront that guy back there because I wanted to stand up for the two of us.”

“You—we—shouldn’t have to get used to it.” Prompto shook his head. “It isn’t fair.”

“Welcome to my world,” Noctis replied. He cupped the side of Prompto’s head with his hand. “Still feel like sticking around?”

Prompto leaned against his hand and shut his eyes, then dove across Noctis’s lap and kissed him, first softly, then more insistently.

“Always,” Prompto breathed. His hair shimmered in the morning sun. He pressed his warm cheek against Noctis’s and kissed him again. “Always.”

“Careful,” Noctis said, one of his eyebrows arched, once Prompto had drawn back again. “The Crystal might take promises like that seriously.”

“I don’t know how you can joke about that,” Prompto said. “It’s pretty depressing when you think about it.”

Noctis stretched his arms above him. “I can laugh or I can cry. I think I cry enough already.” He glanced at the open trunk. “Feel like heading inside?”

“Sure.” Prompto followed Noctis out of the car, letting the prince pull him up from the back seat. He twisted his torso, stretching, as Noctis dragged their luggage to the ground and slammed the trunk shut.

“Noct,” Prompto said. He took the handle of his suitcase and leaned into the arm Noctis threw around his shoulder. “You know you’re really fatalistic, right?”

Noctis sighed. “We’ve already talked about this, Prom.”

Prompto’s hair fluttered in the sea breeze. “Let’s talk about it again, then.”

“I don’t want to be,” Noctis said, lifting his suitcase to the first step of the path. “You know how much I want to be free. I told you that when we went out to dinner in Lestallum that night.”

“Hang on. Was that like, our first date? In a way?”

Noctis scratched his head. “I think we’ve been having first dates over and over since we were fifteen.”

Prompto stopped walking to consider this, then laughed. “Damn. I think you’re right.”

“Remember our talk on the roof of that motel?” Noctis looked up at the trees, at their whispering leaves.

“I know, I know.” Prompto leaned in and kissed his cheek. “That really must have confused you.”

“Yeah!” Noctis turned to him, grinning. “That whole talk was torture for me. You kept pausing, and dropping hints, and staring at me. I thought you were leading up to some big declaration.”

Prompto placed his hand on his hip and sighed. “Honestly, I think I’ve felt something for you for a long time, Noct. I just didn’t know what it was.”

“My heart was pounding the entire time.” Noctis shook his head bashfully. “I was watching your lips under that neon sign, thinking about how we were going to kiss any minute. Thinking what it would finally be like.”

“I probably wouldn’t have pushed you off if you’d made the first move,” Prompto said. He let go of his suitcase and walked up to Noctis, laying his head on his shoulder. Noctis wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him in tight. “You made me feel so—so safe, and happy, when you said I was good enough for you. That you wanted me around. I’d really thought I was dragging the rest of you guys down.”

“As if,” Noctis said. His eyes stung with emotion. “You’re the heart of our group, Prompto.”

“I was smiling the entire rest of the night.” Prompto closed his eyes in momentary bliss, then stepped back and looked at Noctis. The prince hastily wiped his face with his jacket sleeve. “Noct, why’d you bring this up anyway?”

“I—” Noctis furrowed his brow. “Damn it, I forgot. I think I got lost in that memory.”

“I think I said you were fatalistic, and you said you didn’t want to be.”

“Oh, right.” Noctis cocked his chin at the stone wall further up the path and started walking. They dropped their suitcases to the ground in front of it, then hopped onto it and leaned against each other in the fading shade of the lilac bush.

“What I was going to say,” Noctis began, “is that you told me then that I wouldn’t understand what it was like to be you. How it was to just be a normal person ‘in the presence of royalty,’ I think was your exact phrase.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said, sounding tired.

Noctis glanced down at him. “You okay? I’m not boring you, am I?”

“’Course not,” Prompto replied, sitting up. “Maybe I should start drinking coffee like Iggy, though, if we’re going to keep getting up so early.”

“You could join me for that cold shower,” Noctis said, winking. “That would probably wake you up.”

Prompto snorted. “I think that’d defeat the entire purpose of the shower being cold, Noct.”

Noctis sighed theatrically and reached out to curl his hand around Prompto’s waist. “You always see through my wicked plans.”

“Come on, keep going,” Prompto said, patting Noctis’s thigh.

“Yeah. It’s just—you made me think that I don’t know what it’s like to be you, like you said, but you don’t know what it’s like to be me.”

“Well, I knew that already.” Prompto sighed. “How would I know what it’s like to be a prince?”

“I’m not talking about the stuff everyone sees. Like managing a kingdom, or having everyone treat you like you’re a fragile doll, or getting your picture taken by random strangers everywhere you go. I mean the feeling for my entire life of being completely trapped. Of never having a choice in anything.”

Prompto was silent, but rubbed Noctis’s thigh to get him to continue.

“It just seems so insane when I step back and think about it.” Noctis reached across his body to cover Prompto’s hand with his own. “Like, even a beggar on the street has more freedom than I do. He could wake up tomorrow and do whatever he wants. Become an actor, or a poet, or travel the world. But I’m forced to follow the Crystal’s orders for my entire life, then get shut into it once I die. I won’t even be free then. And I’m supposed to be the privileged one?”

“You’re right,” Prompto murmured.

Noctis looked at him. “I am?”

“You’re right, I don’t know what that’s like. I have no idea what I’ll do with my life, other than spend it with you. And I don’t know what happens after we die.”

“I—I wish I’d never pulled you into all this,” Noctis said, suddenly bitter. “It was selfish of me to want you around even though I knew what I’d be getting you into. I’m such an asshole.”

Prompto looked up as Noctis withdrew his hand from his. “Noct, I told you that I wanted to do this. I mean, I was getting to hang out with my best friend as my job. Like, how cool is that?”

“Only because it was the only way we’d be able to spend time together anymore. It’s like my dad and I blackmailed you.” He choked out a sob and dropped his head to his hands. “I’m the one dragging you down, Prom, not the other way around.”

Noctis wept, his tears running through his fingers. Prompto rubbed from the nape of his neck to the small of his back as each intake of breath shook his body.

“Noct,” Prompto said, once Noctis’s breathing had started to return to normal. “You know I don’t have a lot of confidence. I told you that that night. And—well, you think I’m amazing, but I’ve never thought that about myself. The most I’d hoped for, for most of my life, was to just fit in and be ordinary. I’ve always felt different, so I never minded the idea of going along with whatever was, like, normal, you know?”

“And I took advantage of that,” Noctis finished, turning his head slightly from his hands.

“No, that’s not what I was going to say.” Prompto moved his fingers from Noctis’s back to his arm, then slipped his hand insistently into Noctis’s, bringing it away from his face. Noctis squinted back at him, his eyes bloodshot.

“Prompto,” he said, wiping his nose with the back of his other hand.

“What I was going to tell you is that, when we’re together, I feel like—like I can do anything. Like we can do anything. Like everything’s possible.” Prompto looked at the ground and shook his head. “I’ve always felt that way with you. Ever since that first day of high school. And I’d never felt like that before we were friends. It was like the whole world opened up for me all at once.”

“You’re—” Noctis stared at him in wonder as a breeze lifted his hair away from his face. “I—Gods. I don’t know what to say.”

“When you get sad like this,” Prompto continued, his features set in serene resolve. “When you talk about how much you want to be free, how you never had choices, how you wish things could be different—I—”

“Yeah?” Noctis rubbed his hand into his as Prompto blinked, collecting himself.

“That’s when I wish I could make you feel the same way you make me feel,” Prompto finished, turning to look at him, his tears finally coming. “Like everything’s possible. Like we can do anything together.”

Noctis sprang up to stand beside him, grabbing him into his arms. He held Prompto’s head to his chest as he cried, the dam restraining his emotions finally broken.

“Prompto,” Noctis said softly. He rubbed Prompto’s arm with his left hand, the back of his head with his right. “You do make me feel that way. More than I can express.”

Prompto pressed his face against Noctis’s ribs, his tears drying on the grey of his shirt. Noctis closed his eyes and stroked Prompto’s hair, listening to the birdsong in the branches above them, breathing in the sweet scent of the lilacs.

“That was the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever said to me,” Noctis said, once Prompto’s breaths were deep and slow again. Prompto looked up at him. “It really was. Although, the top ten have to all be you, honestly.”

“I don’t think you’re the most impartial judge of that,” Prompto said, laughing.

Noctis leaned down and brought both hands to Prompto’s cheeks, rubbing away the tears before kissing him. He moved his hands up to the back of Prompto’s head and stroked his fingers through his hair as the kiss lingered on, long enough for Noctis to notice his back protesting.

“Ah,” Noctis said, grimacing and rubbing his spine as he stood up.

“What?”

“Oh, it’s just—” Noctis blushed. “I can’t bend down like that for very long without it hurting. Because of the Marilith attack. Especially after being in the car for a while.”

“Huh,” Prompto said. “You okay, though?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Noctis said. “I totally just killed the mood, though.”

“Nah,” Prompto said. He pushed himself up from the wall and embraced Noctis, rubbing his hands along his back gently. “Show me where it is.”

“Um, a little bit lower. And to the left. My right, your left.”

Prompto grinned at him. “Why’s your face so red?”

“I don’t know!” Noctis giggled. “I really don’t. Ah! Yeah, right there.”

“You know,” Prompto said, looking into his eyes while palpating the aching muscle. “I don’t mind giving you back rubs when you’re hurting. That’s something a boyfriend should do, right?”

“That’s a good point.” Noctis touched his nose lightly to his. “I wouldn’t mind you fussing over me, now that I think about it.”

Prompto rubbed his back in silence for a while. Noctis sniffed, detecting the aromas of baking from the Hester kitchen.

“Guess Iggy’s started lunch,” Noctis commented.

Prompto hummed in assent and switched the hand he was using to massage him.

“Prom, I—thank you.” Noctis let his head fall into the crook of Prompto’s neck. “For what you said.”

“I know I don’t know anything,” Prompto said slowly. “About the Crystal, and the gods and all the rest. But maybe you don’t know everything, Noct. I mean, maybe there are more possibilities than you, than any of us, know about. And if you stop looking for them, stop hoping for them, and just give up, you’ll never find them.”

“I believe you,” Noctis said. He smiled into the midday sun. “I’m glad I get to say that to you, too.”

“Good,” Prompto said. He patted Noctis’s back and released him. “I guess we should go in already, huh?” He bent down to lean Noctis’s suitcase towards him, then grasped his own.

“Yeah,” Noctis said. He walked slightly behind Prompto to the house, stopping at the foot of the deck to look out at the azure horizon. He thought about the world beyond that elusive line; the world he still had yet to see. Noctis felt Prompto’s hand on his and turned to him, seeing in his eyes the beckoning promise of unbounded possibilities.


	28. Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An early update this week. This chapter is a bit shorter than the ones I've been writing recently, but I really feel like it stands on its own, independent of subsequent scenes.
> 
> I'll try to finish writing and post the next chapter, which is the final one before Altissia, by Sunday.

_I’ll be at Caem tomorrow morning._

Gladio read the text several times before pursing his lips and looking over at Ignis. “Cor just texted that he’s coming here tomorrow.”

“Did he say why?” Ignis responded, barely looking up from the mountain of clothes he was folding.

“Does he ever?” Gladio shut his book and threw the covers off his lap, then stood up from the bed. “I need to go tell Noct and Prompto.”

“Let me see what he wrote,” Ignis said, dropping a pair of Noctis’s boxers back into the pile and walking to Gladio’s side.

“Here.” Gladio handed him his phone. Ignis furrowed his brow. “I told you, he never says much.”

“It’s like he takes pleasure in being cryptic,” Ignis said, returning the phone to Gladio. “Granted, the Empire is almost certainly listening in on our communications, but then, why bother even mentioning he’s coming if that’s his concern?”

“No, this is just part of his personality.” Gladio chuckled. “Even when it was just the two of us in Gilgamesh’s cave, I had to drag every last word out of him.”

“You don’t think—” The color slowly drained from Ignis’s face as his eyes widened.

“What?”

“That he heard that report on the radio,” Ignis finished.

“It’s exactly what I was thinking, actually.” Gladio sighed. “Should we deny it? Or come clean?”

“’Come clean?’” Ignis repeated, quirking an eyebrow. “You make it sound like Noct’s committed a crime.”

“Gods, it’s just a figure of speech.” Gladio thrust his phone into his pocket and crossed his arms.

“If Cor does ask about it, what we say depends on how Noct wants to address it.” Ignis walked back to his bed and resumed folding. “It’s his decision. Well, his and Prompto’s.”

“I think I can guess what Noct will want,” Gladio said, grinning. “He’s been banging the ‘out and proud’ drum nonstop since Ravatogh.”

“If that’s truly what he wants, there’s little we can do to stop him,” Ignis said. “We’ll simply have to deal with the ripple effects as best we can.”

“I was worried you’d say that.”

Ignis let out a long, deep sigh. “In the end, Gladio, it’s not our place to constantly question, or undermine, or contradict him. Noct is royalty and we’re sworn to his service. And not only royalty: he’s the monarch now. Noct already shows us a great deal of deference. More than anyone could expect him to.”

“He’s a twenty-year-old kid,” Gladio said flatly. “It’s our place to protect him until he’s old enough to have a little wisdom under his belt.”

Ignis pressed his lips together and resumed folding Noctis’s underwear.

“You know there’s no upside to people knowing he’s gay. Look at that guy we ran into today.” Gladio stretched his arms across his body, one after the other. “Lucis is going to have to rally behind him if we want to win this war. There are a lot of old-fashioned people—”

“Tell all this to Noct,” Ignis snapped. “It’s not me you have to convince.”

“I was hoping you’d join me,” Gladio said, after a pause. “He might listen to you more.”

“So, you think the problem is the messenger and not the message? I don’t think I agree.”

“Iggy. You know I’m making sense right now.” Gladio walked to Ignis’s side and swatted Noctis’s boxers out of his hand, dropping them to the bed. “You like spoiling him, fine. But every once in a blue moon, we’re going to have to tell him things he doesn’t like. For his own good.”

“Gladio—”

“And if we don’t do that, we’re also not upholding the vow we were born into. Serving the Crown doesn’t just mean pleasing the king’s every whim. It doesn’t just mean saying ‘yes’ to him.”

Ignis looked down at the pile of crumpled clothes, then removed his glasses and closed his eyes.

“I wish it were not so. I hate to see Noct unhappy.”

“You wish he weren’t gay?” Gladio scratched his head, looking at him quizzically.

Ignis whipped his head up and glared. “Of course that isn’t what I mean. I wish that our world had long ago moved past its small-minded judgments about the lives of others. I wish that Noct and Prompto could walk in the light of day, rather than the two of us deliberating here how best to hide them away in the shadows.”

“One day, they will.” Gladio squeezed Ignis’s shoulder. “I really believe that. Once Noct is king—well, how can anyone touch them then?”

“Considering the fate of our last king, you’ll forgive me for not being as sanguine.” Ignis pinched his brow and closed his eyes again, then restored his glasses to his nose. “Talk to Noct, then. Tell him I’m sympathetic to the concerns you have. I support whatever agreement the two of you come up with. For now, though, I have to finish these clothes.”

Gladio patted Ignis’s arm and left the room, pausing at the balcony railing. Noctis, Prompto and Iris were playing a parlor game around the dining table. Prompto craned his neck forward to sneak a glance at Noctis’s cards; Iris giggled as Noctis slapped him away with his free hand. Gladio smiled and walked to the staircase.

“Want us to deal you in, Gladdy?”

“I think I’ll just watch,” Gladio said, pulling out the chair next to Iris. He looked over her hand and raised his eyebrows. “You’re doing pretty well for yourself.”

Iris punched his upper arm. “Don’t tell them that!”

“Sorry,” he said. He surveyed the table, then turned to the kitchen. “Is there any more of that dessert? I kind of feel like another piece.”

“I put it in the fridge,” Iris said. “Come on, Prom!”

“Alright, alright.” Prompto drew a card from the pile on the table, then arrayed his hand in front of himself and held it out to Noctis.

“I guess—” Noctis traced his fingers over the tops of Prompto’s cards, staring into his eyes. “I wonder where his ace is.”

Prompto grinned. “Who says I have one?”

Gladio looked over at Noctis from the cheesecake he was slicing. “What, you’re not going to let him win?”

Noctis blew a short raspberry and continued scrutinizing Prompto’s cards. “If you were the one who had to put up with his stupid victory dance every time he won a round, you wouldn’t be asking that question.”

“What?” Prompto lowered his cards and narrowed his eyes at him. “You told me you thought that dance was cute.”

“The first time, maybe,” Noctis muttered.

“You two take forever to play a game with,” Iris said, dropping her cards to the table and standing up.

“Are you ditching us?” Prompto asked. Noctis tilted Prompto’s cards down to look at them while his head was turned.

“I’m getting a little sleepy, actually. Plus, I still need to take a shower before bed.” Iris looked between the three men. “Night, you guys.”

“Night,” Gladio said, walking to the table with his plate. Noctis and Prompto waved to Iris as she climbed the staircase.

“Well,” Noctis said, tossing his cards to the table and locking his hands behind his head. “I think we can safely declare me the overall winner of the night.”

“Please, dude. You know I was letting you make a comeback, right?” Prompto said indignantly, standing to gather up the cards.

“Oh really?” Noctis watched him pack the deck into its sleeve, then leaned forward to look up at him. “I guess I should figure out a way to thank you for that, huh?”

Gladio tapped his spoon against its plate and cleared his throat. “How about you guys stop there for now. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.” Noctis sat up straight in his chair and rested his elbows on the table, watching Gladio’s spoon move listlessly around the edges of the cheesecake.

“Cor’s coming here tomorrow. To see us off, I guess.” Gladio shifted in his chair and watched Noctis’s expression.

“Okay,” Noctis said, after Gladio didn’t continue for several seconds. “Is that it?”

“Iggy and I think he may have heard that report on the radio. If he asks about you two, we think we should deny it. He’ll accept our word, I think. And when he eventually finds out we were lying—well, he’ll understand. It’s not his or anyone else’s business.”

“Iggy thinks so too?” Prompto turned to look at Noctis.

“Fine,” Noctis said, flicking his hand through the air.

“It’ll just be—wait, ‘fine?’”

“Yeah. We’ll lie. I’m sick of fighting with you about it.” Noctis closed his eyes and slumped back in his chair.

“That was easier than I thought it’d be,” Gladio said, standing up and taking his plate to the sink. After several seconds of quiet as the water ran, he continued. “It won’t be like this forever, Noct. And it’s not like it changes anything between you two.”

“Can we just not talk about it anymore?”

“Yeah, sure.” Gladio placed his plate and spoon in the dishrack and walked past the dining table. “Night. Don’t stay up too late, we’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

“Night,” Noctis mumbled. He sat back, listening to Gladio’s footsteps along the balcony, then opened his eyes at the touch of Prompto’s hand on his.

“Noct,” Prompto said, his voice unsure.

“Come here,” Noctis said, pulling at his wrist. Prompto stumbled forward into Noctis’s lap and grabbed the prince’s shoulder to steady himself.

“Who’s throwing around whom, now?” Prompto said, cocking his head to the side to flip his hair away from his face.

Noctis hummed and tilted his nose to Prompto’s chest, resting his cheek to his heart. Prompto watched him, then draped his arms across Noctis’s shoulders and rubbed his back, seeking the place to which Noctis had led his hands earlier that day.

“Feels nice, babe,” Noctis said softly, tightening his grip on Prompto’s waist.

“Are you sure about what you told Gladio?” Prompto asked, glancing down at Noctis’s hair. He lifted one of his hands to the crown of Noctis’s head and began pushing strands back and forth.

Noctis sighed. “Not really.”

Prompto leaned to the side to look into Noctis’s eyes, but they were still closed. “Why’d you change your mind, then?”

“We’ll try it their way for a while,” Noctis said, angling his chin up slightly. “If I don’t like it, I’ll go back to what I said before.”

“Huh.” Prompto returned his gaze to Noctis’s hair, his fingers brushing it methodically.

“As long as that’s fine with you,” Noctis said. Prompto felt Noctis’s face rubbing up against his chest.

“Yeah, whatever you think is right.”

“You really don’t have an opinion?”

“I just want what keeps you safe,” Prompto said. “And also, you know, for you to be happy. It’d be nice if those were the same thing.”

Noctis chuckled. “It would be, wouldn’t it? Maybe they are. I certainly don’t fucking know.”

They sat in silence, the wall clock in the entryway and the dripping kitchen faucet ticking the dwindling seconds before midnight.

“Noct,” Prompto said.

“Hmm?” Noctis said, his voice thin and dreamy.

“Did you know you have a bald spot on your head?”

“It—it’s not a bald spot,” Noctis replied, suddenly sounding fully awake. “It’s a cowlick, Prom.”

“Oh, is that what it is?” Prompto teased. “My deepest apologies, Your Highness.”

“Why do you think I use so much hair product?” Noctis said, leaning away from Prompto and giving him a wry smile. “I have to hide it somehow.”

Prompto grinned and stroked Noctis’s cheek with the back of his hand. “I like when you make fun of yourself.”

“I don’t know why I bother,” Noctis said, touching his hand briefly to Prompto’s before returning it to his waist. “You make fun of me enough for the both of us.”

“Hey, someone has to bring you down to Eos every once in a while.” Prompto bent forward to kiss Noctis’s puckered lips. “Want to head to bed?”

Noctis’s eyes flared; Prompto glanced down at the thin fabric of their pajama bottoms as Noctis’s legs shifted underneath him. “What I want is our own room, finally.”

Prompto chuckled and shook his head. “Finally? It’s only been a few days since we got together.”

“Don’t you feel like you’ve been waiting for it for longer than that?” Noctis’s hands wandered to the bottom of Prompto’s T-shirt, slipping underneath. Prompto flinched at the cold of his fingers, leading Noctis to pause and look up at him. “You okay?”

“It just tickles,” Prompto said, watching the muscles of Noctis’s forearms tense and release. “What do you mean by waiting for it for longer?”

“You know,” Noctis said, his fingers slowing, his features suddenly pensive. “Because it’ll be the first time for both of us.”

“Oh.” Prompto tilted his head to the ceiling and blushed. “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

“Really?” Noctis said, his voice trailing off into a whisper. One of his hands reached Prompto’s nipple; Prompto screwed his eyes shut as Noctis rubbed and pinched. “You haven’t thought about what it would be like to be underneath me?”

Prompto swallowed. “Well, I mean—”

Noctis’s other hand traveled down along Prompto’s spine, halting just beneath his waistband and squeezing his buttock. “How about what it would feel like to have me inside you, Prom? Haven’t you thought about that?”

Prompto took a deep breath and opened his eyes to look down at Noctis. “Let’s go to sleep, Noct. I’m tired.”

Noctis retracted his hands to his sides and blinked up at him. Prompto felt Noctis’s erection slowly easing underneath him. “This is too fast for you, isn’t it? I should have known.”

“I’m mostly just tired.” Prompto stroked Noctis’s neck and leaned in to kiss his forehead. “And you know we can’t, like, do anything here. There’s no privacy.”

“I guess it must be weird for you,” Noctis said, his eyes searching Prompto’s expression. “Overwhelming. I mean, you thought you were straight a few weeks ago. You must not like hearing me say I want to—you know.”

“It really isn’t that,” Prompto said, his hand still resting at Noctis’s neck. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay,” Noctis said. He reached up from the side of the chair and cupped his hand over Prompto’s. “I believe you.”

Prompto smiled, then threw his arms around Noctis and leaned into him. “So, you’re going to carry me up the stairs, right? I’m so tired.”

Noctis’s chest shook with laughter underneath his. “Is this how it’s going to be from now on?”

“Noct,” Prompto whined.

“Hey, when are you going to carry me? I’m the crippled one, after all.”

“Damn,” Prompto said, looking up from Noctis’s shoulder. “You’re right.”

“My two favorite words,” Noctis quipped.

“I guess that’s one nice thing about being with another guy,” Prompto mused. “You can take turns carrying each other.”

“Come on,” Noctis said, fidgeting underneath him. “We better head to bed before you think of anything else to rope me into.”

They walked to the staircase. Noctis stumbled sleepily at the first step; Prompto steadied him.

“You alright?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah. It’s just late.” Noctis yawned, then accepted Prompto’s hand. “You ready to see Altissia tomorrow?”

“I’m a little nervous.” Prompto lowered his voice as they reached the balcony. “I’ve never been to another country, you know?”

“I don’t think it’s that different from Lucis,” Noctis said. He leaned his chest into Prompto’s arm as they reached the end of the hallway. “Hey, we’ll get to explore it together.”

“Yeah.” Prompto stopped with his hand on the doorknob and turned to steady Noctis again. “Everyone talks about how pretty and romantic it is. I’m kind of hoping they’re right.”

Noctis flipped off the hallway light as Prompto eased open the bedroom door. He grasped Prompto’s hand tightly, letting him guide him to their beds at the far end of the room, the faint pulse of the lighthouse through the curtains the only illumination.

“Only kind of?” Noctis teased, as they shuffled past the first beds.

“Okay, I desperately hope they’re right,” Prompto said with a quiet laugh, swinging their hands into Noctis’s belly.

“That’s more like it, Blondie,” Noctis said. He nearly bumped into him as Prompto stopped abruptly.

“Careful,” Prompto said, looking back at him, the heat of his breath hitting Noctis’s cheek. “I almost tripped over a suitcase.”

“Probably your own,” Noctis muttered. “You’re always leaving it open in the middle of the floor.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Prompto said, moving around the obstacle. “Says the guy who has Ignis to pick up after him.”

Noctis collapsed onto his mattress and peered through the thick shadows, trying to make out the edges of Prompto’s figure. The lighthouse’s lamp threw him into sharp relief for a transitory instant, snapshotting him as he adjusted the position of his pillow, before leaving them again in darkness.

“Night, babe,” Prompto said sleepily.

Noctis wrung his hands together. He heard Prompto’s breath pause as he waited for Noctis’s answer.

“Prompto.”

“Yeah, Noct?”

“Can—can I come over there?” Noctis swallowed. In the silence that engulfed his question, the few feet separating his bed from Prompto’s felt as vast as the ocean.

After a few seconds, Prompto snorted. Noctis heard the soft sound of his covers being thrown back. “Come on, then.”

Noctis stood and gingerly stepped across the space between them. The flame of the lighthouse turned again; Prompto was looking up at him, his hair already mussed, leaving half of his pillow for Noctis’s head. Noctis slipped under the sheet and pulled the blanket up to their shoulders. Their shins collided as he adjusted his legs. As soon as he lay still, he felt the pillow move, felt Prompto’s slow breaths as he moved his head closer.

“Happy?” Prompto murmured, slipping his hand over Noctis’s waist and resting it on his back.

Noctis nudged his head into the pillow and moved his arm to Prompto’s side, mirroring his hand with his own. At his touch, Prompto’s body sank towards his. “Yeah,” Noctis whispered. “Happy.”

In the last flash of light before Noctis closed his eyes, he leaned in to kiss Prompto’s lips. A barely perceptible smile flickered across Prompto’s face in the split second before the room went dark once more.

“Night, babe.”


	29. Life

“Looks like our sleeping beauties are awake,” Gladio said. Ignis looked up from his coffee mug as Noctis and Prompto trudged down the staircase.

“Morning,” Ignis called, standing up. Noctis grunted in response and sat at the foot of the table. “I’ll make you two some pancakes.”

“Man, I can’t believe we’ll be in Altissia tonight,” Prompto said, curling his fingers around the back of Noctis’s chair. “And, today will be the first time I’ve gotten aboard a ship. Two firsts.”

“I did travel to Altissia once with my parents, when I was much younger,” Ignis said, as he poured ladles of batter onto the griddle. “Back then, there was still a passenger ship that made the voyage between Insomnia and Accordo weekly.”

“Really?” Gladio looked up from his notebook and scratched his jaw. “How was that still going? The Empire had already invaded the provinces by then.”

“I’m not entirely sure. Perhaps it was a concession by the Empire to Accordo as part of the terms under which they accepted Niflheim’s suzerainty.” Ignis bent down to check the color of the bacon in the oven. “Undoubtedly, having a direct maritime connection to Insomnia benefited both countries economically.”

“What?” Noctis scoffed. “Don’t be so gullible. The only reason the Empire would’ve allowed that is because it made it easier for them to spy on us.”

Gladio chuckled. “Look at our hard-nosed realist here. You taught him well, Iggy.”

“The student has eclipsed the master?” Prompto piped up, walking past Noctis to sit in an adjacent chair.

“Few things would make me happier.” Ignis began flipping the pancakes; the griddle hissed softly. “In any case, the city left a deep impression on me. I hadn’t imagined that a place so beautiful could exist. I’m marginally nervous that seeing it again will not live up to the memory.”

“I think it’s supposed to be better for lovers than singles,” Gladio said, turning to Noctis. “Speaking of, you two looked pretty cute, snuggled together this morning.”

“Anything for my public,” Noctis said, rolling his eyes.

Ignis laughed. “Talcott came up to me earlier, and said, with evident worry, that he thought the house was too cold for ‘Prince Noctis.’”

“Aw,” Prompto said. He turned in his chair to look into the kitchen. “What’d you tell him, Iggy?”

“I said that sometimes the two of you fall asleep together whilst talking or playing games, and that the temperature of the house was perfectly satisfactory.”

“Not technically a lie,” Prompto said. “You’re pretty good at that.”

“Well, happy thing, then.” Ignis brought the two plates of pancakes, bacon and fruit to the table and set them in front of Noctis and Prompto. “Considering the dissembling we intend for Cor later today.”

“Can I have an egg?” Noctis said, picking up his fork and knife.

“I was just about to fix that for you, Noct,” Ignis said. “Do you want one, Prompto?”

“Hmm.” Prompto speared a berry and placed it in his mouth. “Yes, please. A sunny side up one.”

“Of course,” Noctis said, winking at him.

Prompto stared back at Noctis. “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Noctis tapped his foot to Prompto’s under the table.

“That’s how Noct takes his eggs, as well,” Ignis observed. “Well, that streamlines the cooking for me.”

Gladio rose and stretched. “I’m going to check over the Regalia. Best to make sure everything’s normal before we take her on the boat.”

Prompto looked up at Gladio. “We need the car? How long are we going to be there?”

“There’s the ritual to summon the Hydraean,” Ignis said. “And with any luck, we’ll be able to negotiate the terms of the Oracle’s freedom. Those are our primary goals, though we should be on the lookout throughout for opportunities to cultivate allies against the Empire. One really cannot say how long it will all take.”

“I’d bet on more than a day trip, though,” Gladio said, carrying his dishes to the sink. “So, pack your suitcases after breakfast and leave them at the door.”

“I still—” Noctis set his utensils on his plate. “I still feel like we’re walking into a trap.”

Ignis glanced at Gladio. “I think that much is certain, Noct. We’ll simply have to be vigilant and prepared for when it’s sprung.”

“On that note, I think I’ve lost my appetite,” Prompto said. “Funny how being told that I’m strolling into mortal danger can do that.”

“But I’ve just finished your eggs,” Ignis said, carrying the pan to the table and sliding one onto each of their plates.

“Oh, fine,” Prompto said, sighing. “I suppose I can enjoy a last meal, at least.”

“Don’t worry so much,” Gladio said, pausing at the front door and grinning back at him. “I’m sure Noct’s ready to protect you.”

“But I should try to act straight while I’m doing it, right?” Noctis sneered. He looked up at the entryway when Gladio didn’t respond, but he was already gone, the door wavering in the warm breeze behind him.

“Gladio told me about your talk last night,” Ignis said, sitting next to Prompto. “I suppose—we’ll see whether Cor asks anything. I don’t know him well enough to predict how he would react to news of your relationship, but I think Gladio has the right of it when he says that it’s best for only the four of us and Iris to know for now.”

“I—” A smile curled Noctis’s lip. “I’ve told Luna, as well.”

“What?” Ignis peered at him. “Why on Eos did you do that?”

“Would it have been better to surprise her?” Noctis asked flippantly. “’Hey fiancée, nice to finally see you after twelve years. Oh, I actually got with a guy between the engagement and the wedding. How’s life, by the way?’”

“Mercy.” Ignis closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to his forehead.

Prompto rubbed his chin. “Wait, how’d you even tell her?”

“Through the notebook,” Noctis said, grinning. “Umbra visited a couple days ago.”

“You seem very satisfied with yourself,” Ignis said, looking up at him.

Noctis shrugged. “I just thought it was funny. I’d actually forgotten I’d done it until just now.”

“Yes, Noct. It’s hilarious.” Ignis stood and collected their dishes. “Hopefully Gladio doesn’t have a stroke when he learns of this.”

“Hey, I wasn’t done!” Noctis pointed at his plate and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

“Well, eat quickly then,” Ignis said, placing his food back in front of him. “You still need to shower and pack. I believe it’s about seven hours to Altissia with fair seas, so we should endeavor to leave by noon.”

“Wait,” Prompto said, leaning back and crossing his arms. “Are there demons in the water that emerge at night to attack boats? I think that sorts out my nightmare fuel for at least the next year.”

“Let’s not find out,” Ignis said, pulling out Prompto’s chair. “Go get ready, Prompto.”

“Yup.” Prompto stood and stretched his arms to the ceiling. Noctis’s eyes drifted to Prompto’s exposed navel.

“Oh,” Ignis said, his shoes clicking on the hardwood as he moved to the front door. “I think I hear Cor outside. I’ll just nip out and see.”

Prompto watched the door close behind Ignis, then turned back to Noctis.

“Well,” Prompto said, cupping the back of Noctis’s head. “Ready to face the music?”

Noctis’s chewing slowed; he tilted his head back into Prompto’s hand and closed his eyes. “I don’t feel like joking about it, Prom.”

“Sorry.” Prompto rubbed Noctis’s hair, then dropped his hand to his shoulder. “Yeah, that was kind of a dumb thing to say.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Noctis said, his eyes still closed. “Let’s just talk about something else.”

“Hmm.” Prompto stroked Noctis’s neck with his thumb. “Well, you can look forward to us having our own room tonight.”

Noctis smiled and opened his eyes to look up at him. “Tonight,” he repeated, his voice slow and quiet.

“Yeah. We just have to get through the day.”

Noctis sat up and curled his arm around Prompto’s hips, pulling him towards him. “That’s some pretty good motivation.”

“I know, right? I’m really looking forward to only having to share the bathroom with one other person,” Prompto quipped.

“Gods, I can’t fucking wait to get you alone.” Noctis grabbed and squeezed Prompto’s rear through his pajama bottoms.

“More eloquent love sonnets from my Prince Charming,” Prompto teased.

Noctis looked up at him and furrowed his brow. “Do you want those? Once you hear the poetry I come up with, you might regret asking for that.”

“Nothing wrong with a little romance,” Prompto said, shrugging.

“Really?” Noctis groaned and leaned his head to Prompto’s belly. “Well, if I have to do it, then so do you.”

Prompto grinned, then looked behind him at the sound of the door opening. Ignis stared down at Noctis’s hand on his buttocks.

“That would have been interesting to explain to Cor,” Ignis said, shutting the door behind him. “Prompto, why are you still down here? Go upstairs and get ready!”

“Sorry, I waylaid him,” Noctis said, releasing Prompto after a quick kiss. Prompto jogged up the stairs, Noctis’s eyes following him until he vanished into the bathroom.

“I can see that,” Ignis said, gathering up Noctis’s dishes and walking to the kitchen.

Noctis stretched out his arms and legs and yawned. “Good breakfast, Iggy.”

“I’m pleased.” Ignis squinted down at Noctis’s plate, scrubbing at it with the scouring pad. “Cor is here. He and Gladio are talking whilst Gladio checks over the Regalia.”

“Did he say, um, anything?”

“He’s Cor, so no, not really, other than some shop talk relating to royal tombs.” Ignis stacked Noctis’s dishes and pulled off his gloves. “He said that he wished to speak with you alone, however.”

“Okay, I’m scared now,” Noctis said.

“Try not to be cheeky with him,” Ignis sighed. “I don’t think Cor appreciates that.”

“What, so be my dad? The man who never cracked a smile in his entire life?”

“You won’t pull me into this, Noct.”

Noctis looked up. “Pull you into what?”

“Making His Majesty into a punchbag. You know very well that he smiled from time to time.”

“I guess he saved them all for his cozy jazz conversations with you.”

Ignis sat in the chair to Noctis’s left and peered at him. “Noct, you’re quite frustrating sometimes.”

Noctis laughed and sat up in his chair. “Good. Someone has to keep you on your toes, right?”

“I’m quite nimble even without your intervention, thank you.”

“Call it a little extra practice, then,” Noctis said, shrugging.

Ignis watched Noctis as the prince surveyed the room, storing images and sensations of it in his mind for later reminiscences. Such had been Noctis’s habit all his life. His mien was regal, taking in the immediate properties of their surroundings, their ordering in the cosmos, while at the same time pushing through to their essentialities, holding them both in the balance in his mind.

“You remind me a great deal of him right now, actually,” Ignis remarked.

“Wonderful.” Noctis shut his eyes and slumped back. “Iggy, you know that story you told us about your parents taking you to Altissia when you were a kid?”

“Yes, don’t you remember me leaving for a month that summer? I think you were eight—no, seven—at the time. You turned eight that August.”

“I—maybe?” Noctis scratched his back absentmindedly. “I don’t remember stuff from before the Marilith all that well.”

“I see. Well, I suppose we weren’t as close at that point, anyway.” Ignis folded his hands in front of himself on the table. “Why do you bring it up?”

“Oh, it just made me realize that you never talk about your parents.”

“Is there something about them which you wish to know? They’re fairly typical members of House Scientia, I assure you.”

“Yeah, I met them a few times.” Noctis opened his eyes and looked at him. “You know what I mean, though. They were in Insomnia that day, right?”

“As—as far as I am aware, yes.”

“So, you haven’t heard from them since?”

“I have not.” Ignis glanced at the front door. “Cor did deliver the news to me just now that my uncle had been located. Alive, thank the gods.”

“Iggy!” Noctis reached his hand to Ignis’s and patted it. “That’s great. Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“Earlier?” Ignis withdrew his hand from Noctis’s and pushed his glasses around his face. “It was only twenty minutes ago that I learned it myself.”

“You can talk to me about this stuff,” Noctis said, undeterred. “I—I want you to. You’re my friend. Gods, you listen to me talk about Dad all the time.”

“Well, listen is a strong word,” Ignis said dryly.

Noctis tapped his fingers to his chin and smiled. “I wonder if other kings had to put up with this kind of insubordination.”

“Yes, they were fond of beheading as a punishment for that in earlier centuries.” Ignis looked up at the bathroom door as Prompto walked out. “I’d like to plead for mine.”

“I can’t behead you,” Noctis said, watching Prompto walk into the bedroom. “Who’d make my rice bowls then?”

“Go on,” Ignis said, rising from the table. “Take your shower quickly. Cor’s waiting for you.”

“Ugh.” Noctis staggered up and shook his head. “I was kind of trying to forget about that.”

“I packed your clothes into your suitcase already,” Ignis said, as Noctis reached the top of the stairs. “Don’t toss them around haphazardly when you look for an outfit. And tell Gladio to help you if you can’t carry the luggage down the stairs.”

Noctis shut the bedroom door behind him; Ignis gazed at it and took a deep breath. He started when it opened several seconds later.

“Thanks,” Noctis said tersely, before closing it again. Ignis heard the trading of voices and laughs between Noctis and Prompto behind the door and smiled, deciding to fix himself another coffee.

 

* * *

 

“Here we go,” Noctis muttered, lacing up his boots.

“After you talk to Cor,” Gladio was saying, “Cid mentioned that he wanted to chat with you, too.”

“Everyone wants a piece of our prince.” Prompto laughed and leaned back into the deck railing.

“You know I’m all yours,” Noctis said, winking as he stood up.

“Cool it down,” Gladio said nervously, glancing at Cor’s silent form further down the promontory.

“What were you two talking about for so long, anyway?” Noctis said.

“It was mostly Resistance details.” Gladio crossed his arms. “He was just bringing me up to speed on the situation in Insomnia. There’s also heightened activity at an Imperial base in Leide that he’s keeping an eye on, but nothing concrete about an operation there yet.”

“Does he really think—” Prompto looked down. “Sorry, I don’t know anything about all this military stuff.”

“Just spit it out, Prompto,” Gladio said. “What do you think I’m going to do?”

“Oh, right.” Prompto laughed nervously. “I was just going to ask: does he really think we can beat the Empire in Insomnia and drive them out? I mean, they have so many more soldiers than us, and they control the city. And they have demons, and flying ships, and—”

“We just have to be smarter,” Noctis said.

“Is that, like, enough?” Prompto scratched his arm. “I’m not trying to be a downer, but even if we have a force to attack the city, won’t a lot of the people there die in the fighting?”

Gladio furrowed his brow. “Should we just leave them there, at the Empire’s mercy, then?”

“I guess not,” Prompto said, trailing off.

“I haven’t forgotten, Prom,” Noctis said, reaching his hand to his shoulder. “About your parents.”

“It’s not just them, Noct.” Prompto looked down at his hands. “It’s all the normal people in the city. People who have nothing to do with politics. People like me, if I’d never met you.”

A silence fell over them. Noctis rubbed Prompto’s arm, then glanced at Gladio before stepping forward to embrace him.

“Thanks,” Prompto said softly. He held Noctis’s body to his, breathing in the scent of his freshly washed hair.

Noctis looked up at Gladio from Prompto’s shoulder. “It’s a friend hug.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Gladio said, raising his hands. “You did give me an idea, though, Prompto.”

“Really?”

“You’re right that the Empire dwarfs us, probably ten to one.” Gladio watched as Noctis slowly unwound himself from Prompto and stood next to him against the railing. “So if we want to even the odds, we have to change that calculation.”

“I’m not following you,” Prompto said.

“You talk about Aranea all the time,” Gladio said. “You’re friends with her, right? And she’s a mercenary, so she can’t be too loyal to the Empire. You think she’d ever switch sides? If we found the right incentive?”

Prompto scratched his neck. “I’m not sure. I don’t really know her all that well.”

“Damn,” Noctis said, looking down at their feet.

“Actually,” Prompto said. The other two looked up at him expectantly. “I remember that she was complaining about the Empire the last time I talked to her.”

“What did she say?” Gladio said, leaning forward with interest.

“She said her job was a pain in the ass,” Prompto remembered. “And that bad things were coming? Oh, and she said she hated the food in the Imperial Navy.”

Noctis and Gladio exchanged a glance. “Uh, I’ll talk to Cor and see if we can work with that,” Gladio said.

“Speaking of, I better not keep him waiting any longer,” Noctis said, pushing himself off the railing.

“Oh, before I forget, Cor’s scouts also found a few more royal tombs. He marked down the locations on Iggy’s maps, so we can plan to visit them when we get back here.” Gladio patted Noctis on the back as he walked down the stairs, then turned to Prompto. “I should go hang out with Iris for a little bit.”

Prompto scratched his head, watching Noctis slink towards Cor. “Where is Iris, anyway? And Monica and Talcott?”

“Oh.” Gladio pointed at one of the trees beside the garden. “During the days, Monica tutors them on stuff. She was already teaching Talcott math and reading, but when we brought Iris here I asked her to teach her whatever she could as well.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“History, politics, literature. She’s doing what she can, but if the occupation drags on much longer I’m thinking of finding Iris an apartment in Lestallum, so she can go to an actual school.”

Prompto leaned around the edge of the house to watch the improvised classroom under the maple tree. “Yeah, I guess you’re sort of the parent now, huh?”

Gladio sighed beside him.

“I—I mean, until you find your mom. I’m sure she’s fine.”

“Prompto,” Gladio said gruffly.

“I know,” Prompto mumbled, looking down. “I’ll just shut up.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Gladio replied, clapping him on the back. “I could recite clichés back to you about your folks, too, but how about we just not worry about it.”

“Not worry about it,” Prompto said, watching Gladio walk off. “Yeah, sure.” He turned around to look for Noctis again, spotting him just as he and Cor disappeared past the lilac bushes.

 

* * *

 

“We’ve lost a lot of good people,” Cor said, gazing down at Jared’s headstone.

“Yeah,” Noctis said, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. “I feel responsible.”

“It isn’t easy.” Cor turned to him, his eyes skimming over Noctis’s form. “That feeling stays with you, every day. I wish you could have lived a few more years before knowing what it was like.”

“Hey, compared to when you started out, I’m practically a senior,” Noctis quipped.

Cor stared at him impassively. “There’s something I need to get off my chest.”

“I—” Noctis felt his face growing hot. “What is it?”

“I’ve known you since the day you were born,” Cor began. “I still remember it. My driving that night almost cost your father his life, although nothing could have brought down his mood once he’d heard the news.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said apprehensively, waiting for the confrontation.

“Aulea—before she died, she asked me to watch over the two of you. You and your father. I swore. I said that, on my honor, any sword meant for you would only find its mark by first passing through my body.”

Noctis scratched his head. “I’m confused.”

Cor shook his head and looked at the ground. “And why wouldn’t you be? My honor, my vow: they were worth nothing. I wasn’t strong enough to protect your father.”

“How’s it your fault?” Noctis crossed his arms. “He ordered you away. And wouldn’t you just have died with all the others if you’d stayed?”

“That isn’t the point. I let His Majesty die in his own throne room. There was more I could have done—more, maybe enough to save him.”

“I don’t think so,” Noctis said, his tone growing bitter. “It seems like my dad wanted to die. Seems like he didn’t care what happened to him or anyone else, as long as I lived.”

“There—is more than a little truth in that. But your anger is misplaced.”

Noctis shook his head, waiting for Cor to continue.

“Your Highness—Noctis,” Cor said, approaching him. “Before you leave for Altissia, I want to plead for your forgiveness.”

Noctis leaned away from him. “My…forgiveness?”

“I don’t deserve it,” Cor said, his eyes level with Noctis’s again. “It’s selfish of me to ask, but your word would bring me some solace. I know I can still serve you and the Crown. I can still uphold the other half of my vow, for Aulea and Regis.”

The trading of laughter between Iris and Talcott floated by on the breeze. Noctis looked away from Cor, his eyes coming to rest on the flowers atop Jared’s grave.

“Of course I forgive you,” Noctis said. “There was nothing you could have done.”

“Thank you.” Cor shook his head slightly and sized up Noctis again. “I know it doesn’t count for much, but I promise to be worthy of this.”

Noctis glanced across the yard, hearing the singsong murmur of Gladio telling a joke, then the rise and fall of laughter. The sunflowers in the garden swayed; it was nearly midday.

“What was she like?” Noctis blurted out. “Please, tell me.”

“Your mother?” Cor’s cerulean eyes contemplated the sky as he gathered his memories. “I don’t know if I can do Aulea justice. It’s been so many years.”

“Please,” Noctis begged, stepping towards him. “Dad’s gone. Who else can tell me about her?”

“Alright,” Cor said, reaching out a hand to steady Noctis. “Your father didn’t speak of her much, did he?”

“Never.” Noctis squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold back his emotions for as long as possible.

“They’d known each other from a young age. Childhood friends. Kind of like you and Lunafreya.”

“Or me and Prompto,” Noctis said, without thinking.

“Uh, yes, I suppose.” Cor stroked his chin. “Well, they got married quite young. I remember that King Mors liked her a great deal. He died before she became his daughter-in-law, sadly.”

“But what about _her_?” Noctis said, an edge of desperation in his voice.

“She was witty,” Cor said, smiling. “She loved making jokes at Regis’s expense, which he encouraged, if you can believe that. And brilliant. She wrote stories and poems, sending some of them to publishers anonymously. Many of them did end up in print, or at least that was Regis’s boast.”

“Huh, maybe I won’t be so lost when I write that sonnet,” Noctis murmured.

“I don’t understand,” Cor said, scratching his temple.

“Um, don’t worry about it.”

“Let’s see. Ah, she loved music. I remember that she and Regis would disguise themselves to visit jazz clubs without being recognized, and they hosted musicians at the Citadel frequently. The four years between their marriage and your birth were the most lively I’d seen that place, before or since.”

“You mean when she died.”

Cor glanced at Noctis but continued on. “She was beautiful, as well. She had strikingly graceful features. Light hair, dark blue eyes. The same smile as you.” Cor watched Noctis’s expression. “You look so much like her, though your father’s black hair won out, obviously.”

“I guess I would’ve needed a name change if that hadn’t happened.” Noctis placed his hands on his hips and looked at Cor expectantly. “What else?”

“I don’t know how much else I can really tell you, Your Highness. We weren’t particularly close.”

“Did—did she ever say anything about me?”

Cor hesitated. “You know that she died soon after childbirth.”

“But what about before then? Or when she was pregnant? Didn’t she talk about me?”

“I’m sure she did,” Cor said. “But, again, I only saw her occasionally.”

Noctis shook his head and began walking down the path back to the house. “Well, thanks for what you’ve told me, then.”

“There was one comment she made,” Cor called after him. Noctis spun around on the gravel. “It stuck in my head at the time, but I only just remembered it.”

“Yeah?”

“When she was pregnant with you, I joined the two of them for dinner one night at the Citadel. I remember her being in a sour mood, as she sometimes was.”

“Because she was pregnant?”

“In part,” Cor said, smiling faintly. “But she had her moods even before that.”

“Sounds like my mom,” Noctis said. “So, what happened?”

“Regis was rambling on about how many things he would teach you, about the Crystal, about politics, how the two of you would take back what the Empire had stolen. He loved delivering these types of speeches to anyone who would listen. Aulea was sitting silently and barely nodded each time Regis turned to her, but he pressed on anyway.”

“An awkward dinner party at the Citadel,” Noctis commented. “Is there any other kind?”

“They’re also hours long, which I’ve never gotten used to.” Cor glanced down to gather his thoughts before continuing. “Eventually, when dessert arrived, Aulea stood up, dropped her silverware to the table and shouted that, for her part, all she wanted for Noctis was for you to have the freedom to choose your own path, even if that meant never being king. Then she muttered some vulgarities about the Crystal and retired to her chambers.”

“Whoa,” Noctis said.

“I wasn’t completely honest earlier,” Cor said slowly. “I hadn’t forgotten that story. I just wasn’t sure whether I should tell it to you. I don’t know whether it makes you think less of your mother, or—”

“No,” Noctis said. “The opposite. I think she sounds amazing. No wonder dad married her.”

Cor chuckled and walked along the path to where Noctis was standing. “I hope I’ve satisfied your curiosity. You’ve got me thinking of some good memories for a change.”

“I really—” Noctis placed his hand on Cor’s shoulder. “Cor, thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

Cor patted his hand, then walked off towards the road. “Your Highness.”

Noctis watched as his figure grew smaller, disappearing where the path sloped down to the highway’s shoulder. He breathed in and closed his eyes, replaying over and over in his head the scene that Cor had painted, smiling into the sun.

“Prompto,” he said, once he’d opened his eyes again. He looked around, then turned to the house, intent on finding him.

 

* * *

 

“Hey,” Noctis said, striding along the metal catwalk. “Is Prompto down here? Have you guys seen him?”

“Afraid not,” Ignis called, handing a piece of luggage to Cid. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” Noctis surveyed the pier. “But he wasn’t in the house, either. How close are we to leaving?”

“These are the last items,” Ignis replied. “So, we can depart once everyone is ready. Needless to say, it would be good to find Prompto soon.”

“Yeah, okay,” Noctis said, pivoting to return to the elevator.

“Wait,” Gladio said, looking up at Noctis. “How’d it go?”

“Oh.” Noctis turned back to him and furrowed his brow. “I guess Cor doesn’t listen to the radio. Or he didn’t care. He wanted to talk to me about dad, actually.”

Ignis passed the last suitcase up to Cid, then turned from the boat to look at Noctis. “What about His Majesty?”

“He regretted not being able to save him,” Noctis said. He sat down on the couch and glanced between Gladio, Ignis and Cid. “We talked about my mom after that.”

“Wow,” Gladio said. “Respect. You got way more out of him than most people could.”

“He does have the advantage of being the crown prince,” Ignis pointed out. “In any case, I’m glad to hear that you were able to learn more of your mother.”

“What did you find out?” Gladio asked.

“She was a poet and a badass,” Noctis said. “I wish I could have met her.”

“So do I,” Cid interjected, hopping down from the ship. “Too bad I wasn’t good enough for Ol’ Reggie’s city.”

Ignis cleared his throat. “My understanding is that that disagreement had long been resolved before Queen Aulea’s death.”

“Don’t contradict me, boy,” Cid said, waving a finger.

“Apologies.” Ignis threw up his hands as Cid ambled by. “I’ll just go and make sure we didn’t miss anything in the house.”

Cid sat down on the couch across from Noctis and watched Ignis as he walked to the elevator.

“Wait!” Gladio said, jogging up the stairs to Ignis. “I need to say goodbye to Iris.”

The elevator rattled as it ascended to the surface. Noctis turned his head to the side slowly to glance at Cid, then whipped back in the other direction when he saw that he was staring at him.

“Why are you so jittery?” Cid crossed his legs and placed his arm on the back of the sofa. “You afraid I’ll say something mean about your father if you make eye contact?”

“No,” Noctis said, turning to him. “It’s more like the opposite. I kind of like that you’re the only person who doesn’t treat him like some sort of god, or myth, or something.”

“Lucian royalty likes to think that about themselves, don’t they?”

“Um,” Noctis said, blushing. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Especially Mors, Reggie’s father. Gods, you couldn’t conceive of a more pompous ass.”

“So, you didn’t like him because he refused to let any refugees into the city, right?” Noctis said. “That’s what you told us at Hammerhead.”

“I didn’t like him because he didn’t have a heart,” Cid corrected. “And I was angrier with Reggie because I knew he did.”

Noctis looked down at his boots and stayed silent.

“But Reggie, a god?” Cid chuckled and uncrossed his legs. “He shat like all the rest of us. More, actually. A lifetime of fine dining had given him a temperamental digestive tract.”

“I—don’t think I needed to know that,” Noctis said, wrinkling his nose.

“So, you don’t have that problem?” Cid peered at him, glancing down his torso. “I have some fiber supplements if you’re having an issue with, you know, excessive frequency.”

“What? No!” Noctis covered his face with his hands. “And stop looking at me that way!”

“Alright, alright,” Cid said. “Youngsters are so dainty and squeamish these days.”

“I think I should go look for Prompto,” Noctis said, standing up.

“Hang on,” Cid said, pointing at the couch. Noctis slowly sat back down. “You have everything you need?”

“Well, you made me that awesome sword,” Noctis said. After a moment, the Ultima Blade shone into corporeality next to the couch, and Noctis grabbed hold of it. “I don’t think I need much more than this.”

“I didn’t just mean weapons.”

“What, then?”

“How about the trust of the boys beside you? Your trust in them?” Cid scrutinized Noctis’s expression. “Are you sure about the path you’re walking? Are they?”

“I think so,” Noctis said blandly, releasing the sword into the ether.

“You damn well better do more than think so, boy,” Cid said, leaning forward. Noctis’s eyes widened. “You’re asking them to live for you. And die for you. The least you can do is be sure that what you’re doing is worth it.”

“Do you know something I don’t?” Noctis glared at him. “You’re saying all this like I have a choice in the matter.”

“Gods, you’re just like him,” Cid said, sinking back into the couch. “What is it with you Caelums? You’ve got all this power, yet you claim to be the most helpless folks around.”

“I’m getting tired of your insults,” Noctis said, standing up.

“Sit. Down.” Cid pointed at the sofa again. Noctis reluctantly slid back onto the cushion. “Reggie said the exact thing you just did twenty-odd years ago, when I confronted him about the refugees. ‘You’re acting like I have a choice in the matter.’ All that was, was him absolving himself of guilt for what was happening. And so that was the day I turned around and never looked back.”

“Well, you wrote to him,” Noctis said.

“Years later, I did. Forgave him, even. But I never forgot what he said.” Cid leaned forward and speared his index finger to the center of Noctis’s chest.

“Ow!” Noctis said, slapping his hand away.

“Good, so you do feel something there,” Cid said. “Hold onto that feeling. Don’t lose your heart. No matter what the old kings or the Crystal say. You have to listen to what’s inside you, to the people close to you. They won’t lead you astray.”

“My heart,” Noctis murmured. He blinked, remembering his search for Prompto.

“Yeah. You do know what that is, right? They don’t just teach you that duty is the only thing that matters in Insomnia, I hope.”

Noctis smirked. “You’re not far off.”

“I tell you, it’s been twenty-five years and I regret leaving that place behind less and less each one.”

“Cid,” Noctis said, after a few seconds. “What do you mean by ‘listening to what’s inside me?’”

“You need me to explain that?” Cid shook his head. “That’s like asking someone to teach you how to walk and talk at the same time, or how to take a piss standing up!”

“Um, okay,” Noctis said. “It was just a question.”

“Ask your boys,” Cid said, crossing his arms. “Hopefully one of them can help you. That’s why you’re all together, anyway.”

Noctis rose, seeing his opening to leave. “Okay, I’ll go do that.” Cid slouched back into the couch and closed his eyes, looking suddenly exhausted. Noctis walked along the catwalk back to the elevator.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be awake enough to captain us to Altissia,” Cid mumbled, sounding half asleep. “I think I still have my entry visa too, somewhere on me.”

Noctis pressed the call button. As the elevator ratcheted down to the bottom level, he thought of a place he hadn’t yet looked for Prompto. Noctis smiled at the doors as they swung open and stepped forward, pressing his fingers lightly to the beating of his heart.

 

* * *

 

“Here you are,” Noctis said, once he’d reached the top of the ladder. Prompto was leaning on his forearms against the lighthouse railing, watching the water. His hair blew up and back in the breeze when he turned to Noctis’s voice.

“Oh.” Prompto smiled wanly as Noctis climbed onto the gallery and walked over to him. “Hey, Noct.”

Noctis stood next to him and rubbed between his shoulder blades. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Prompto glanced up at him. “Why, is something wrong?”

“Nah.” He pushed Prompto’s fluttering hair away from his eyes and leaned in to kiss him. His lips were hot and dry from the sun and wind. “Just was missing you.”

“You were talking to Cor for a long time,” Prompto replied, standing up from the railing. “And I guess you talked to Cid after that, too?”

“Yeah. I was looking for you for a while between all that, though. How long have you been up here?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Prompto looked around at the water. “I walked up here after we had that talk about the Crown City out on the deck. I felt like I needed to think, you know?”

Noctis nodded, then slipped his hand to Prompto’s waist and leaned onto the railing next to him.

“Your parents?” Noctis said tentatively. “You were thinking about them?”

“Sort of.” Prompto’s eyes traced the horizon. “I was remembering something my dad said to me once.”

“Yeah?” Noctis leaned his head to Prompto’s shoulder. “What’d he say?”

“It was something he said to me the summer before high school. I was too young to have a job, and I guess I had cabin fever? I don’t know, I was just a teenager. I thought I was getting on his nerves whenever he was home. I’m not so sure now.”

“Uh,” Noctis said. “Sorry, I’m confused.”

“I’m still going,” Prompto admonished.

“Okay, okay.”

“Yeah, so, one day he came to my room and banged on the door. I thought he was just there to yell at me to turn my music down again, so I did that and walked out into the hallway. But instead of scolding me, he had tears in his eyes. He said that the song I was listening to reminded him of the year he and my mom had adopted me.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Noctis said. “You were into oldies when I met you in high school.”

“Classic rock,” Prompto corrected.

Noctis winked. “So, what happened next?”

“He said that he wanted me to see the world. That he wished he’d done more of that when he was my age, and that once real life hit me, my chance to do that would vanish. I kind of just stood there and gaped at him. He left town for business the next morning, and I never really talked to him about that conversation again.”

“Sounds kind of awkward. Like he was blaming you for him not being able to do everything he wanted.”

“That’s what I thought for a long time.” Prompto shook his head, looking south to Accordo. “Now—well, maybe it’s because I’ll never get the chance to ask him myself, but I’m starting to think he meant it authentically. That he really wanted me to see the world, since he never got the chance to.”

“I guess that’s what we’re doing, regardless,” Noctis said, rubbing Prompto’s waist.

“Right.” Prompto turned to Noctis and shook the hair out of his eyes. “Hey, can you believe we’ve been to Caem so many times, but this is the first time we’ve been up here?”

Noctis looked back at him and raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, but, aren’t you afraid of heights? I’m surprised you even came up here. Well, since you didn’t have to do it to find me, I mean.”

“As long as there’s a railing, I can deal,” Prompto said. “I feel like I’ve gotten better about heights recently. Which is good, since we seem to be going to all sorts of high places together lately.”

“Dude.” Noctis elbowed him softly. “Can you believe we actually climbed Ravatogh?”

“I think you mean, ‘conquered Ravatogh,’” Prompto said, grinning.

“That does have a certain ring to it,” Noctis said.

“So,” Prompto said, after a few seconds of silence. “How’d the talk go with Cor? Did you play it straight?”

“Nah.”

Prompto twisted against the railing to face him. “You told him about us?”

“No, I mean, that wasn’t why he was here. He didn’t even ask about that. He wanted to—to apologize for not being able to save my dad.”

“Oh.” Prompto looked down, then smoothed the wrinkled collar of Noctis’s jacket. “So, what’d you say?”

“That he was being stupid, of course. Well, not like that.”

“Good,” Prompto said. “I don’t think I’d want to see Cor when he’s mad.”

“I asked him about my mom,” Noctis continued. “I had to know, Prom. When Ignis was talking about her yesterday—it just made me curious.”

“Of course.” Prompto stroked his arm as he talked.

“She sounded like—I don’t know, a woman who didn’t take shit from anyone. I guess I look a lot like her. Oh, and she wrote poetry.”

“Hey,” Prompto said, as another gust blew their hair around wildly. “Maybe you won’t be so bad at writing that sonnet after all.”

“That’s exactly what I thought when he told me that!” Noctis laughed and looked up at the lighthouse’s lantern. “Although, I was kind of hoping you’d forgotten about it.”

“Come on, I know you have a romantic streak,” Prompto said, following Noctis’s eyes. “And I have something planned for you, too.”

“Okay, now I’m interested.” Noctis looked down and pushed his hair away from his eyes. “You know, she also told my dad that she wanted me to be free to make my own choices, even if that meant I never became king.”

“That’s—” Prompto scratched his chin. “Pretty touching, when you think about it.”

“I know.” Noctis looked down at their hands. “I wonder what she’d think of me, if she were here right now.”

“And what she’d think of us?”

“Yeah.” Noctis slid his hand into Prompto’s and squeezed. “I was definitely thinking of that. I mean, if she said that she wanted me to make my own choices in life, then, well, this counts, doesn’t it? We count?”

“I think so,” Prompto said, matching Noctis’s smile. “We definitely count.”

“Yeah.” Noctis pressed the back of his other hand to his eyes. “We do. Prompto—”

He choked and continued to wipe at his eyes, fighting a losing battle. Prompto pulled him towards him and held him as he cried on his shoulder.

“I wish I could talk to her, Prom,” Noctis said. “Even for a minute. Or just see her face.”

“I know,” Prompto said. “I guess—it seems like you turned out a lot like her, in some ways, even if she never got to see it. That’s something, right?”

Noctis nodded against his neck. “I think she would’ve liked you. You’re an artist, like she was.”

“Noct,” Prompto said, snorting. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“Sorry.” Noctis stepped back and dabbed at his face with his jacket.

“So, what’d you do after that?”

“Oh, right. So, after that, I looked around for you for a while, but ended up getting roped into talking with Cid. He said that I needed to trust you guys, and make sure you trusted in me.”

“Well, you know I trust you, Noct,” Prompto said.

“Prompto,” Noctis said softly. “If I didn’t trust you, there’s no way I would let you anywhere near a gun. I’m amazed that you haven’t shot me yet, honestly, with everything that goes on in combat.”

Prompto pursed his lips. “I don’t know whether to feel flattered or offended.”

Noctis smiled as Prompto pushed him gently. “After that, he said to not lose my heart, like the kings before me had. And to listen to what’s inside me.”

“Sounds like good advice.”

“So, you do know what he meant!” Noctis wrapped his arms around Prompto’s waist and grinned at him. “He said you would.”

“I don’t think it’s that complicated,” Prompto said, furrowing his brow.

“This—I knew it would all make sense once I talked to you.”

Prompto patted Noctis’s back and chuckled. “Noct, I still don’t know what I did. But I guess I’ll take the compliment?”

Noctis nuzzled into the crook of Prompto’s neck and closed his eyes. The two of them swayed gently in the breeze as a few wisps of clouds drifted at the peak of the sky, offering a short respite from the sun.

“Prom,” Noctis murmured.

“Yeah, Noct?”

“You got me thinking. You know how you said we can do anything together? And how your father wanted you to travel?”

Prompto rubbed Noctis’s back. “Yeah.”

Noctis paused, then leaned back from Prompto’s arms to look into his eyes. “You want to see the world with me?”

“Um,” Prompto said, searching Noctis’s face. “Yeah! But when?”

“Whenever we want,” Noctis said, drawing the hair away from Prompto’s eyes.

“I guess we’re starting with Altissia,” Prompto said. He quirked his eyebrow, remembering something. “What about The Wall? Won’t you have to, you know—”

“That’s years away, probably,” Noctis said, waving his hand. “Besides, who knows if The Wall will still be a thing once we take back Insomnia. It didn’t seem to do us much good the first time.”

Prompto grinned. “I can’t wait to see Iggy’s reaction when you tell him all this.”

“I don’t want to start off my life thinking that I’m powerless,” Noctis said, remembering Cid’s words. “Not like my dad. Maybe I am, but I’ll let the world tell me that. I won’t tell it to myself.”

“Do I sense a speech coming?” Prompto cocked his head and took a picture of Noctis with his shoulders back and chin raised, the waiting sea behind him.

“We’re at the start of our lives, Prompto.” Noctis pushed his camera down gently to look into his eyes. “You were right when you told me that everything’s possible. That was my mom’s dream for me, too. That I’d find my own way.”

“Noct.” Prompto held his camera in front of his chest and watched him. “What are you saying with all this?”

“I—I want to live, Prom. Live life.”

“Live?”

“Remember what I said to you when I came out?” Noctis placed his hand on Prompto’s shoulder, stroking his bare skin. “I know you do, because you told me you’d remember that moment forever.”

“Noct,” Prompto murmured, sliding his camera into his bag. “Of course I do. You said you felt like you were living for the first time. And you spun.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, placing his hand on his hip. “I knew you’d remember that part, even if nothing else. But I completely meant it. When I was in the closet, I felt trapped. Suffocated. It was like nothing in life felt the way it should. I was always looking over my shoulder, scared. I didn’t want to show anyone who I really was, so I just hid away and pretended that nothing mattered to me.”

“I—” Prompto’s lip quivered as he grabbed Noctis’s hand. “I’m so happy you told me.”

“What I’m saying is, there’s more to life than just doing what’s expected of us. Whether that’s marrying a woman because everyone thinks I should or doing the Crystal’s bidding because the gods say so. We count, Prom. We matter.” Noctis brushed the tears from his eyes as Prompto wrapped his arms around him. “You matter. I matter.”

Prompto held Noctis as he shuddered in his arms, grabbing at Prompto’s shoulders. He looked up at the sky, thinking of what to say to him. Prompto thought back to their years together, to Noctis’s hidden sadness, to the past week of joy, the first in the prince’s life. As the clouds moved on from the sun, the gallery was flooded with heat and light once more.

“Noct,” Prompto said, once Noctis’s breaths were at peace again. “You inspire me.”

Noctis laughed into his neck, his voice still unsteady. “That’s my line.”

“Kiss me, Noct,” Prompto whispered. Noctis lifted his head and looked into Prompto’s eyes, then bent forward to his lips, holding him by the small of his back as they leaned into the lighthouse railing.

“Noct! Prom!” Iris’s voice was barely audible, filtering up the tower on the fickle breeze. "Are you guys up there?"

Noctis paused and drew back from Prompto’s mouth. “Did you hear that?”

“Iris, I think,” Prompto said, craning his neck over the side of the deck to survey the ground below. “Iris!”

“Hey!” Iris waved up at them. “Gladdy’s looking for you guys! They’ve been ready to go for a while!”

“Oh,” Noctis said sheepishly, turning to Prompto. “I knew there was something I’d forgotten to tell you.”

Prompto grinned. “Really, Noct?”

“Talcott and I want to say goodbye! We’ll wait at the bottom!”

“Noct,” Prompto said, holding onto his hand as Noctis led them to the ladder. “About what you said.”

“Yeah?” Noctis said, turning back to him. The wind blew his jacket away from his body as he watched Prompto close the space between them.

“I’m going to fight for it.” Prompto gripped his hand so tightly that Noctis looked down at their fingers. He pressed his other hand over Prompto's and looked up at him, his eyes shining with pride. “I’m going to make sure you get to live life. That we get to live it, together.”

Noctis beamed at him, then leaned in for a kiss. “Come on,” he said, his lips trembling on Prompto’s in the sunshine. “Let’s go see the world.”


	30. Promises

“Noct,” Prompto said. He lifted his hand to his brow and flicked his stringy, sweat-soaked hair away from his face.

“That’s right,” Noctis cooed. He leaned forward, his tongue searching for Prompto’s lips. “I want to see your eyes.”

He grunted and thrust deeper. Prompto’s hand flew to his leg.

“Ow,” Prompto said, screwing his eyes shut. “Hang on.”

Noctis paused briefly before moving Prompto’s hand away. He pulled out to his head, then stabbed into Prompto again, as far as he could go.

“Fuck yeah,” Noctis murmured. He rested his head on Prompto’s chest and kissed the base of his neck. “You’re mine. _Only_ mine. You know that.”

Prompto was silent. Noctis opened his eyes and looked up.

“Prom?”

Prompto’s head was turned away. Noctis sat up and looked around at the pool of blood that surrounded them.

“No,” he whispered. Noctis looked down at his hips, where the Ultima Blade had rent Prompto in two. “No!”

Noctis reached forward, grasping Prompto’s cheeks with his hands. “Prom, no. Please.” The cold numbed his hands; the crimson around them spread out to the corners of his vision. Noctis sobbed, resting his head on Prompto’s neck.

“Noct,” Prompto was saying.

“Prom?” He blinked the tears from his eyes and looked up at Prompto’s pale skin. His lips were still. “Prom?”

“Noct.”

Noctis’s eyes opened to the burnt orange sky and the rocking of the sea. He blinked, then turned to the voice calling his name.

“Hey,” Prompto said, patting Noctis’s hair away from his face. “You okay? You were talking a lot in your sleep.”

“Prompto,” Noctis murmured. He stared into his eyes for a second before jerking up and kissing him.

“Noct,” Prompto said, after pushing him away. He frowned at him, then flicked his chin at Cid’s figure further up the boat.

Noctis glanced at Cid and sat up. “What do you think he’s going to do?”

“I don’t know, I guess.” Prompto turned slightly in his seat and dabbed his fingers to the sweat on Noctis’s neck. “You were saying my name a lot. Was it another nightmare? What was happening?”

“Uh,” Noctis paused, blushing.

“Oh.” Prompto glanced down at Noctis’s crotch. “It was—that kind of dream?”

“No! Well, not exactly.”

“It’s okay, Noct,” Prompto said, grinning. A light spray of ocean water flicked over their heads, cooling the air. “I don’t mind. That’s pretty hot, actually.”

“Prompto,” Noctis said, leaning forward to his lap. He brought both hands to Prompto’s neck and rubbed his thumbs along his skin. “You know I’d never hurt you, right?”

“Um.” Prompto’s eyes searched his face, his long eyelashes shadowed in the late afternoon. “Of course I know that, Noct. I trust you.”

“I’d rather die than hurt you.” Noctis gripped his neck more tightly. “I would. And I’d kill anyone who tried to hurt you, without hesitation.”

“Noct.” Prompto grimaced and pulled Noctis’s hand away. “What’s wrong? You’re like, pinching me right now.”

“I am?” Noctis brought his hands back to his side. “I must still be clumsy from waking up, sorry. How long was I out?”

“Just an hour or so,” Prompto said, as the ship skirted past a dense group of sea stacks. “You fell asleep in my lap while we were playing _King’s Knight_.”

“Oh.” Noctis patted his pocket. “Where’s my phone?”

“Here,” Prompto said, handing it to him. “I put it next to me when you nodded off.”

Noctis unlocked his phone, then looked at his score. “You cheater!”

“No,” Prompto said, rapping Noctis’s head with his knuckles. “You lost fair and square.”

Noctis pushed his phone into his pocket and smiled. “Alright.”

“Alright?”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, nudging himself closer to Prompto and throwing his arms around his shoulders. “I’m just glad you’re here.”

Prompto looked up at the sky, then back at Noctis. “I’m confused.”

“You’re here, I’m here.” Noctis planted a wet, messy kiss on the side of Prompto’s mouth, then turned to admire the arcade of marble through which their ship was sailing. “What’s confusing about that?”

“No one told me you were a philosopher all of a sudden,” Prompto grumbled.

“Ah,” Ignis said, the sound of his shoes growing closer on the deck. “Noct, you’re awake. Excellent.”

Noctis turned to him and squinted into the sunset. “You need me for something?”

“Gladio and I were going over our plan of attack for when we gain entry to the city. Metaphorically, of course. Altissia is a weapons-free jurisdiction, aside from its law enforcement, I suppose.”

“That won’t stop us,” Gladio said, walking over to them from his bench. “But we should avoid showing our hand unless we have to.”

“You mean our arms,” Prompto quipped.

“Yes, very witty,” Ignis said, closing his eyes.

“You’re just mad you didn’t say it first,” Noctis said.

“If only that were the weightiest concern on my mind,” Ignis retorted. “Noct, we need to discuss your plan for gaining access to the Oracle. Have you considered how you might go about this?”

Noctis scratched his neck. “Isn’t that what I have you for?”

“Well, I fear I must disappoint you, then,” Ignis said. “I don’t know nearly enough about Altissia to tell you how you can go about earning the trust of its leaders, then convince them to risk the wrath of the Empire.”

“Weskham,” Cid said flatly, without turning around from the helm. “Talk to Weskham. He’ll know what to do.”

“Oh. You mean the guy you told me about?” Gladio said.

“He has a restaurant. All the high and mighty types of Altissia like to hang around there. He’ll help you figure out who to talk to.” The boat began to slow as Cid fished around in his pockets for something.

“Well,” Ignis said, sitting down next to Prompto. “It’s more than we had a minute ago.”

“Cid was telling me about him yesterday, actually,” Gladio said. He rested his arms on the seat back as the other three looked up at him. “One of His Majesty’s friends. He ended up settling here in Altissia and opening a famous gourmet restaurant.”

“Wait,” Noctis said, tapping his fingers to his lips. “I think I might remember him. He visited the Citadel when I was a lot younger.”

“Oh?” Ignis sat back and crossed his arms. “I’m afraid I don’t recall this.”

“I just remember it because he cooked a few meals for dad and me, and dad was embarrassed because I wouldn’t eat any of them.” Noctis smiled and looked at Prompto. “Dad scolded me for being spoiled after he left. I guess I didn’t realize at the time that he was one of his old friends.”

“I doubt that realization would have motivated you to eat whatever he had made,” Ignis said tartly. “You’ve always been irritatingly picky.”

“Hey, I’ve gotten better recently,” Noctis said, glaring at him.

“Why’ve we stopped?” Gladio drew back and started walking towards the helm.

“Under control, son,” Cid said, as he held out a piece of decrepit paper to the border guard.

“My, my,” the guard said. “Don’t see a relic like you every day.”

“Come over here and say that!” Cid shouted, stepping away from the ship’s wheel.

“Oh—apologies, sir, I was referring to the document.” The guard leaned back from the edge of his booth, then returned the visa to Cid’s hand. “Everything’s in order. But when you get to immigration and customs, they’ll need to know the reason for your visit.”

Cid snatched back the piece of paper and stuffed it into the pocket of his jacket. “Great.”

“We can’t really say why we’re actually here, can we?” Prompto said, turning to Ignis.

“That would be unwise,” Ignis said. “Immigration and customs is likely to be completely penetrated by Imperial spies. For that matter, Noct should probably stay in the background whilst one of us handles explanations.”

“You’ll come up with something,” Gladio said, smirking.

“I’ll—” Ignis sighed. “Alright, I’ll have a think.”

Noctis leaned back in his seat and watched the waves as the ship turned from the canal. The waterfront of Altissia, bedecked with the pink shadows and golden lamps of early evening, came into closer view. Above and around it, granite monuments, white stucco houses and weeping waterwheels scaled the scrubby, pine-strewn crags surrounding the harbor.

“Look at this, Prom,” Noctis said, tapping at his knee.

“Huh?” Prompto turned to him, then scrambled over Noctis’s lap to look out at the city. “Whoa!”

“So much water,” Gladio observed. Prompto fumbled at his side for his camera.

Noctis leaned back as Prompto nearly elbowed his sternum in an attempt for an angle. “That’s all you have to say?”

“Indeed, this is exactly the view I remember,” Ignis said wistfully. “Right down to the time of arrival, the sunset on the bay. Magnificent.”

“It’s just—wow,” Prompto said. After several hasty photographs taken across Noctis’s lap, he sat up and rested his chin on the prince’s shoulder. “Noct, have you ever seen anything like this? It’s like something out of a movie.”

Noctis carefully moved his hand between Prompto and the seat back, resting it on his waist. At his touch, Prompto nudged himself closer to him and dropped his hand to Noctis’s upper thigh. Noctis looked down at his lap and winced, remembering the cold fingers of his dream.

“Noct?” Prompto was saying, as he returned his camera to his bag. “Eos to Noct.”

“Ah,” Noctis said, shaking his head vigorously. “No, I’ve never seen anywhere like this. Makes Insomnia seem even drearier in comparison.”

“Yeah.” Prompto sighed and moved his other hand to Noctis’s navel. Noctis tensed at his touch. “It’s so colorful. And bright. Noct?”

“Huh?”

“You okay?” Prompto looked up at him. “You look worried.”

“Oh. Yeah, I’m okay,” he said, rubbing Prompto’s waist. He pressed his lips to Prompto’s forehead and closed his eyes as a gust of wind dipped through the harbor. “More than okay. This place is beautiful.”

Prompto kissed his cheek softly while Noctis’s eyes were still shut, then rested his head on his shoulder again. “I can’t wait to explore it together. ‘See the world,’ right, babe?”

“Yup.” Noctis gripped Prompto tight, steeling his resolve. “Nothing’s going to stop me.”

“Us.”

“Right,” Noctis said, smiling faintly in the magenta light. “You’re right. Us.”

The ship slowed as they neared the piers at the bottom of the city. Ignis tugged at the hatch to the luggage compartment, then pulled out Noctis’s suitcase and began sorting through it.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Noctis demanded.

“Finding—ah, there it is.” Ignis held out Noctis’s baseball cap to him, then zipped up the luggage again. “Put that on. It’s your disguise.”

Noctis fitted the cap to his head. Prompto yanked on the peak, pulling it down over the prince’s eyes.

“Yeah, no one can tell it’s you now,” Gladio said, chuckling.

“It’s just to deter unwanted attention,” Ignis said. “He’ll stand in the back with Prompto whilst you and I talk to the immigration authorities. Our story is that we’re opening Lestallum’s first seafood restaurant and we’ve come to Altissia to scout for recipes, suppliers and talent.”

Gladio jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “And what are these two supposed to be?”

“They’re our chef and sous-chef.” Ignis scratched his nose.

“Really?” Gladio shook his head in dismay. “Maybe I should have thought of the plan.”

“You’re welcome to try,” Ignis snapped. “Seeing as we’re nearly at the pier now, though, you’d best think quickly.”

“Fine,” Gladio said, throwing up his hands. “Let’s just hope they don’t erupt into a giggling fit halfway through your brilliant story.”

“Hey!” Noctis said. He glared, then looked at Prompto and laughed once Gladio turned to him.

“Yes, well, I’m sure they’ll do better in the actual moment,” Ignis said. He staggered as the ship came to a halt and Cid lowered the gangway.

“I’ll stay on the boat,” Cid said, motioning them to the pier. Noctis trudged past him with his suitcase. “Just in case you boys need to make a quick getaway.”

“Thank you,” Ignis said. “We’ll see you before too long.”

Cid lifted the gangway and walked to the cabin, raising his hand behind him. “Maagho. Weskham. That’s where you want to go.”

“Can we go to the hotel first?” Prompto said, leaning into Noctis.

“Yes, of course.” Ignis turned to look at the other three. “Gladio, come with me. Remember what I said. You two, just hang back and wait.”

“So,” Noctis said. He watched Ignis and Gladio approach the immigration agent, averting his eyes when the agent glanced at him.

Prompto looked up from his phone. “Huh?”

“Oh, just wondering how to look like a random chef and not the most wanted man on the planet.”

“Just act natural,” Prompto said, frowning. “Oh, and I’m the chef. You’re the sous-chef.”

“What? No way!” Noctis elbowed his chest.

“Noct, what’s the last thing you cooked? On your own?”

“Hey, I made you that burrito at my apartment the week we left.”

“You put a frozen burrito on a plate and stuck it in the microwave,” Prompto said, shaking his head.

“I don’t get it,” Noctis said. “You liked that burrito, didn’t you?”

“Noct,” Prompto said flatly, looking up at the other two as Ignis motioned them over. “You’re the sous-chef.”

Noctis pulled his suitcase behind him and followed Prompto. “Alright.”

“Yeah?” Prompto looked back at him once they’d passed through the gate.

“Yeah,” Noctis said, stepping close to him and winking. “I don’t mind being underneath you, if that’s how you want it.”

“Noct.” Prompto blushed and turned to the tourist booth next to them.

“Having fun?” Ignis said, walking up to Noctis.

“Getting by.” Noctis placed his hand on his hip and glanced at Prompto. “You think they bought it?”

“Oh, you mean the salmon you mentioned? Yes, I’m sure the supplier did,” Ignis said, pulling at Noctis’s wrist. He glanced back at the phalanx of immigration agents. “Let’s go have a look at it. Come on, Prompto.”

“What’s up?” Gladio, said, as the other three reached him. He was standing in front of a crepe stand, the steam from the griddle billowing past his face.

“Noct’s just doing his best to burn our cover thirty seconds after we’ve entered the city,” Ignis carped. He turned to the crepes and stepped forward with interest.

Noctis exhaled. “I didn’t know they were right there, okay?”

“What are those?” Prompto said, looking over Noctis’s shoulder.

“Hmm? They’re crepes,” Noctis said, as Prompto leaned into his back. “They used to serve them in the Citadel sometimes. Usually with some weird filling I didn’t like.”

“It’s like a thinner pancake,” Ignis said. He pivoted on his heels and began walking. “Come, let’s head to the hotel before we figure out dinner. We can get rid of this luggage.”

They began to move again, the dense crowd parting to allow them passage.

“Real nice here,” Gladio said, as they strolled over the first bridge along the waterfront.

“Yeah,” Noctis agreed, his eyes drifting from the rose sandstone of the storefronts to the fiery spectrum of light in the clouds above them. “It’s nice to be back in civilization.”

“Wow,” Prompto said softly, looking up from the tourist map in his hands. “There are so many different neighborhoods. I think you have to take those boats to get to most of them.”

“Gondolas,” Ignis said.

“Right, gondolas,” Prompto said, scratching his head. They reached the end of the bridge and paused. “I knew that.”

“Can I see?” Noctis said, pointing at the map. Prompto handed it to him, then looked around at the shops and café tables along the waterfront. A rainbow of colors caught his eye: he walked towards a flower stand just past the bridge, bending over to sniff the blossoms.

“Flowers everywhere,” Prompto murmured, once he’d straightened up again.

The florist laughed. “That’s right, love. You looking for some for your sweetheart?”

“Oh, ah—” Prompto looked back at Noctis through the crowd. “Maybe another time? I need to think about it more.”

“No worries,” she said, with an easy smile. “You want to get it right, I know.”

“Uh, what kind of flowers are popular here?” Prompto asked, shuffling to another end of the stand to examine a stand of tiger lilies, their petals the blazing ochre of the sky.

“People like roses the most, of course,” the florist said, walking out from behind the counter and rearranging the buckets of foliage at the front of the display. “We have all sorts of colors of those. Each one means something different.”

“Really?” Prompto scratched his chin. “Sounds a little complicated.”

“There’s a sheet right there if you want to look them over,” she said, looking up at one of the stand’s open shutters. “What else. I’d say tulips, orchids and lilies are all fairly popular. And there are different types of each of those.”

“Hey,” Noctis said. Prompto felt his hand press into the small of his back. “What are you looking at? Gladio and Ignis are leaving us behind.”

“Oh,” Prompto said, turning to him. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

Noctis grinned. “Getting something for me?”

“Uh.” Prompto blushed.

“I won’t tell him if you won’t,” the florist said with a wink.

“Deal,” Prompto said, as Noctis pulled at his waist. “Thanks for the information!”

“So, you _were_ getting me flowers,” Noctis said. They reached the second bridge, where the other two were waiting for them. “Well, I’ll have you know I’m very picky.”

Prompto rolled his eyes. “Of course you are.”

“We alright?” Ignis said, peering at Prompto. “Let’s keep the wandering off to a minimum. Once we get to the hotel, you can explore to your heart’s content.”

“What, you think it’s safe for them to go out on their own?” Gladio slid his phone back into his pocket and followed Ignis up the bridge.

“From what I gather, the Altissian constables are merciless when it comes to enforcing the weapons ban. Which, by the way, we should keep in mind.” Ignis stopped at the midpoint of the bridge and looked down at his map. “I doubt Imperial spies here even carry a weapon on them. It would be more hindrance than help.”

“Alright. Just use your common sense, then,” Gladio said, turning to Noctis and Prompto. “That also goes for—you know. Public displays.”

Noctis narrowed his eyes at him. “What?”

“You don’t want some drunk guy to come at you if he sees the two of you kissing,” Gladio said. “Just be careful.”

“Like he’d have a chance,” Noctis said icily.

“So, you’d beat him to a pulp?” Gladio shook his head. “Congratulations, you just got us kicked out of the city. No ritual, no Oracle. Nice job, Your Majesty.”

“Alright, Gladio,” Ignis said, returning his map to his breast pocket and resuming their path. “I think he gets the picture.”

“I—” Noctis balled his fist, then kicked the stonework at the side of the bridge. The potted flowers along the railing shook in the wind that swept through the canal. “Fuck this.”

“Noct?” Prompto looked back at him.

“I don’t know why I thought it’d be different here,” Noctis said bitterly. “Of course it’s the same shit as always.”

“Come on,” Prompto said, reaching for his hand. “Let’s get to the hotel. Remember what we talked about? Just getting through the day?”

Noctis yanked his hand away. “Careful, Prom,” he said, rolling his eyes. “We can’t act too, you know, gay. Otherwise random drunk guys could dictate our lives or something.”

“Noct.” Prompto turned to look at Gladio, but he was out of earshot. “I—I don’t know what I can do.”

“Hey,” Noctis said, his features softening in the fading pink of the sunset. “You don’t have to do anything. Neither do I. We’re not the ones with the problem, okay?”

“Yeah,” Prompto said. He looked up as Noctis approached him, feeling the heat of his body as Noctis paused at his side and turned to him.

“I want to kiss you,” Noctis said, his voice trembling. A group of pedestrians jostled past him, pushing him further towards Prompto. “Right here, in the middle of this bridge. Right here, in the middle of all these people. And I can’t.”

“Well, I don’t see any drunk guys around,” Prompto quipped.

Noctis closed his eyes, not bothering to laugh. “Come on, let’s catch up to them. I hope we’re almost there.”

In the split-second before Noctis could open his eyes again, Prompto leaned forward and pressed his lips to his, catching him by surprise. Noctis staggered slightly and reached for Prompto’s arm, his baseball cap slipping from his head and falling to the ground. Prompto’s other hand searched for Noctis’s, slipping in as the kiss lingered on under the last rays of the sun.

“There you go,” Prompto said, opening his eyes and drawing back. Noctis blinked, his eyes darting across Prompto’s face. “Hey look, the world didn’t end. No one’s even looking at us. Well, a couple people, but they might just like my hair. You never know.”

Noctis glanced around and retrieved his baseball cap, returning it to his head. He smiled at Prompto as they started walking again. “Babe.”

“Yeah?” Prompto looked back at him from the foot of the bridge.

“Thank you.” Noctis said, as he caught up to him. They walked side by side to where Gladio and Ignis had stopped.

“No biggie,” Prompto said, winking. “Turns out I could do something.”

“You hear that, Noct?” Ignis called, glancing over his shoulder at them. “Live jazz in that café.”

“Yes, Ignis,” Noctis said. He scowled as the insistent honking of a trumpet and the thick odor of cigarette smoke carried past them in the muggy air. A flock of pigeons scattered into the roofs above them as two children ran across the piazza.

“Could come here for dinner,” Gladio remarked.

Prompto chuckled. “You might get a Noct veto on that one.”

“The hotel’s over the bridge ahead,” Ignis said, gesturing to the next canal. The group started walking again. Noctis looked up at the eaves, searching them with his eyes narrowed.

“Noct?” Prompto was looking back at him.

Noctis walked to catch up to the others and scanned the roofs again once they’d reached the next bridge. “I swear I felt someone watching me.”

“I told you no one cared, silly,” Prompto said, tapping his arm with the back of his hand.

“No, not because of that,” Noctis said. He furrowed his brow as the incandescent lights of the Leville Altissia appeared through the trees. “Someone was watching us. I’m sure of it.”

“How come you have this sixth sense, huh?” Prompto turned to him at the foot of the hotel’s steps. “Is this another part of being connected to the Crystal? I didn’t know about it.”

“No, I don’t think so. It doesn’t happen every time something’s watching us.” Noctis passed the handle of his suitcase to the porter and followed the others into the lobby. “The last time I felt myself tingling like that was when Aranea attacked us at Fort Vaullerey.”

“Hey,” Prompto said indignantly, stopping at the fountain in the middle of the lobby. “I thought I was the one who made you feel tingly.”

“Um.” Noctis turned to him and blushed. “Of course you do. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant—oh, you’re teasing me.”

“Oh man,” Prompto said, walking towards the furniture on the other side of the lobby. “Those look so soft, Noct!”

Noctis watched him plop into an armchair and grinned, deciding to worry about the entity in the piazza another time. He turned and walked to the counter, crossing his arms next to Ignis.

“Ah, Noct,” Ignis said. “I’m sure you’re as happy to rest your legs as I.”

“Hey. I—” Noctis stammered and looked up at Ignis. “I want my own room.”

“A moment,” Ignis said to the receptionist, before turning to Noctis. “I understand, Noct. I should inform you that we may have to tighten our belts if you wish for us to sleep in two rooms from here on out.”

“Ignis,” Noctis said. “This is already an awkward conversation. Just do it, please.”

“As you say,” Ignis replied, giving Noctis a small smile. He stepped back to the front desk, then looked back at Noctis. “There will be more beans at dinner for a while.”

“Well, Cid did say I need to eat more fiber,” Noctis said, smirking.

Ignis looked at him perplexedly. Noctis blinked back at him, then flinched when Gladio clapped him on the back.

“So,” Gladio said, as Noctis turned to him. He paused, his eyes roving over Noctis’s body.

“What?” Noctis demanded. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I guess—did your dad ever have ‘the talk’ with you? Probably not, right?”

Noctis shut his eyes and sighed. “This can’t be happening.”

“Look,” Gladio said, sounding uncharacteristically flustered. “I’m guessing you’re not very experienced. Or maybe not at all. Do you know the basics, at least?”

“You need to stop,” Noctis said, giving him a withering glare. “That’s actually an order.”

The two men looked past each other. Gladio focused on the languid movements of the couples passing by on the street outside and brushed the sweat from his nose before looking back at Noctis.

“How would you even know how it works between two guys, anyway?” Noctis said quietly.

“Well, I don’t,” Gladio said, seeing his opening. “But a lot of stuff is probably similar.”

“Like what?” Noctis leaned forward on the balls of his feet, but kept his arms crossed.

“Well, you know. Like being attentive to your partner. Only doing what you’re both comfortable with. Foreplay. Safe sex.”

Noctis frowned. “This is getting a little overly personal.”

“Why are you so delicate and prissy about everything, huh? Sex is natural, okay? I’ve talked about stuff like this all the time with my other friends.”

“What have you talked about?” Ignis said, walking up to them with the keys in his hands.

“Nothing,” Noctis said, grabbing one of the keys from Ignis and turning to look for Prompto. “Gladio’s just having fun insulting me.”

Gladio watched him walk towards the red armchair upon which Prompto was reclined, then turned to Ignis.

“What was that?”

“He’s nervous,” Gladio said, scratching his temple. “He’s scared to death. I can tell. Not sure why, though.”

“Well, that’s natural.” Ignis adjusted his glasses as they watched Noctis and Prompto start for the stairway. “You know.”

“I think it’s more than that,” Gladio said pensively. “I’m just not sure what.”

“Perhaps he’s not yet completely comfortable with his sexuality,” Ignis said, beginning to walk to the stairs.

“Who knows,” Gladio said gruffly. “He wouldn’t let me tell him anything, so they’ll just have to figure it out for themselves.”

Ignis turned to look at him sheepishly. “Gladio, I do find myself amused by the fact that we’re discussing this in such detail.”

“Amused is one word for it.” Halfway up the flight of stairs, Gladio stopped abruptly. “At least neither of them can get knocked up.”

“I—yes, you’re right about that.” Ignis shook his head and looked up at the second floor, where Noctis and Prompto were disappearing through the door to their room. “An astute observation.”

“Alright,” Gladio said, as they resumed their ascent. “I just need to piss, then we can head to that place you liked for dinner.”

“The jazz café? We don’t need to—”

Gladio waved his hand behind him and jogged up the stairs. Ignis looked down at his feet and continued on. At the landing, he felt suddenly unsteady and grasped for the railing, shutting his eyes to a river of memories.

“Noct,” he whispered. He saw the young prince’s face from the day of their first meeting, shy, innocent and eager. How had it been sixteen years?

Ignis looked up at the closed door of the hotel room and pushed back at the welling of nostalgia, shaking his head. “Stop being foolish, Ignis.” He took the stairs two at a time to the landing, smiling faintly at the other door as he walked through his own.

 

* * *

 

Prompto latched the door behind him and looked up in the half-light. Noctis was pulling off his boots a few feet away, facing the rest of the room, silhouetted by the streetlamps outside.

“Ah,” Prompto said softly. He dropped his bag next to the door and eased out of his shoes, then walked over to Noctis’s back and slid his arms around his waist.

Noctis kicked his second boot away and regained his balance. “Huh?”

“Alone at last.” Prompto kissed the crook of Noctis’s neck.

Noctis exhaled slowly and leaned his head to the side, meeting Prompto’s.

“How are you feeling?” Prompto said, once Noctis had lifted his head again. “Tired?”

“A little,” Noctis said, hesitating. “And I almost can’t believe we’re finally here.”

“I know, right?” Prompto swayed his body gently against Noctis’s shoulders. “This is where we were supposed to be two months ago, when we first started this whole crazy adventure.”

Noctis chuckled and leaned back, letting Prompto move him. “When I was supposed to be getting married to a woman. I can’t believe that almost happened.”

“Noct.” Prompto paused, then rubbed his hands around Noctis’s abdomen as he began swaying again. “How did you feel about that? When you first heard about it?”

“Huh.” Noctis slid his hands over Prompto’s; he took a slow breath. “Defeated? Empty, hollow. Worthless.”

Prompto shook his head, then leaned his face into Noctis’s neck. “Not shocked or surprised?”

“Not at all,” Noctis said, his chest puffing in Prompto’s arms. “I knew I’d be forced to eventually, since I was my dad’s only heir. There was no way I would get out of marrying and producing offspring, Prom, not in a million years. I’d just accepted that at some point.”

Prompto was silent. The lights of a passenger ship slipped by in the waters outside the glass doors of the balcony. His swaying slowly tapered off, until he eventually lifted his head.

“It must have felt horrible.”

“I think—” Noctis paused and looked down at Prompto’s hands. “I think the worst part was not being able to tell anyone. Not having anyone to talk to about how I was feeling. Not even you.”

“I know.” Prompto hesitated before kissing his cheek.

“I had to pretend with you,” Noctis said, turning his head. “You’d always poke me about how great it was that I was getting hitched.”

“Noct.”

Noctis’s voice turned suddenly quiet. “There were times I wanted to scream. Yell at you to shut up. But only you. For some reason, I just felt—when my dad told me about it, I just felt like I couldn’t expect anything more from him.”

Prompto pulled his hands around Noctis more tightly. “I’m listening.”

“It hurt, with you.” In Prompto’s vision, Noctis’s eyelashes flickered into and out of the light from the balcony doors. “It felt like you were in on it. And—well, you know I liked you. It was almost unbearable sometimes.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said. He kissed Noctis’s neck four times, then glanced up. “I’m sorry I brought it up. You want to keep talking about it?”

“No,” Noctis said, his voice rough. “I really fucking don’t. What are we doing, Prom?”

“Standing in a dark hotel room in a foreign country?”

Noctis snorted. “So, this is our first night on our grand world tour, huh?”

“Well,” Prompto whispered. He licked Noctis’s earlobe, then lifted his hands to the prince’s shoulders and began tugging at his jacket. “We could do all kinds of things with our first night.”

“Huh,” Noctis said, letting his arms go slack. Prompto pulled his jacket down and tossed it to the floor. “I’m guessing you have some ideas?”

“A few,” Prompto replied. He crept under Noctis’s T-shirt and gripped his abs, tracing the lean muscles and thin trail of hair with his fingertips.

Noctis’s hands reached under the fabric and met Prompto’s. “You going to tell me? Or just show me?”

“Noct,” Prompto breathed. He shuffled forward and pressed his crotch into the back of Noctis’s cargo pants. “I want you so bad right now.”

“Really?” Noctis flicked his head to the side to glance back at Prompto’s voice. “Even after everything I just said? I thought that might have been a mood killer.”

“It just makes me want you more,” Prompto said. He rubbed his erection into Noctis’s rear; Noctis staggered forward, steadying himself against the mattress. “I want to make you happy. Make you forget all that.”

“Damn,” Noctis said, with a soft chuckle. He straightened up and reached back to Prompto’s waist. “You weren’t lying last night. I was actually a little worried that you were getting cold feet.”

“I told you I was just tired last night,” Prompto said. He pushed Noctis down to the bed, then crawled onto it alongside him.

“Yeah.” Noctis flipped onto his side to face Prompto. His eyes were barely visible in the streetlights. “Not tired now, huh?”

“No, but—” Prompto reached for Noctis’s hand, flexing his fingers into his once he’d found them. “We could just go for a walk, if you like. Or cuddle. It’s all good to me. Whatever you want.”

“That doesn’t sound bad, either,” Noctis said pensively, angling his head to the window. “A walk. Or just hanging out.”

“Are you—”

Noctis looked back at him. “What?”

“Nervous?” Prompto let go of Noctis’s hand and rolled onto his belly to be closer to him. “About doing more, you know?”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, exhaling. “I am. But it’s mainly because I want it to be good for you.”

“That’s how I feel,” Prompto said, propping his head up with his palm. He watched the twinkling lights on the opposite shore. “I don’t know, you just seem, like, not as up for it as before. But maybe I’m just mixed up.”

“You’re not.” Noctis turned over to lie next to Prompto and reached his fingers to Prompto’s hair.

“Oh.” Prompto looked down at the bed. “So you don’t want to do it anymore? With me? But I thought you just said—”

“No, silly,” Noctis said, rubbing his fingertips to the nape of Prompto’s neck. “I want that—I don’t even know how to describe how much I want that.”

“Huh.” Prompto swiveled his neck into Noctis’s fingers, waiting for him to continue.

“I had a dream,” Noctis murmured. His hand paused. “We were—you know. And it was good. Really good.”

Prompto giggled. “Okay, Noct.”

“But then I started hurting you,” Noctis said. He dropped his hand from Prompto’s shoulder and set it on the bed between them. “Really hurting you. When I saw what I’d done, I felt like my world had ended, until you woke me up. And—I keep thinking about that.”

“Oh,” Prompto said. “When you fell asleep on the boat.”

“I don’t know why I had that dream,” Noctis said. “Maybe it doesn’t mean anything. I know that’s what I always used to say about my dad’s dreams.” He turned to Prompto. “What do you think?”

“No idea,” Prompto said. He leaned across the space between them and kissed Noctis’s lips gently. “I know you’d never hurt me, though.”

“You trust me too much,” Noctis said, dropping his head to the duvet. “Would you even tell me if I were hurting you? If you knew I was enjoying it?”

“But why would you enjoy hurting me?”

“Because I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing,” Noctis said flatly. “Neither of us do. I’m worried that you’d put me before yourself. I really think you would, Prom.”

“I—” Prompto watched as Noctis stood up from the bed and walked to the lamp on the nightstand. They squinted at each other as Noctis turned on the rest of the room’s lights. “I think you’re overthinking it a little. And if something doesn’t feel good, I’ll tell you, okay?”

Noctis looked at him skeptically as he opened the glass doors to the breeze. The warm air of the harbor crept in, billowing the cream curtains.

“We have to trust each other,” Prompto said. “We’re experts at that by now, aren’t we?”

They both turned to the knock at the door.

“Noct! Prompto!” Ignis called. “We’re heading to dinner if you want to join us!”

“We’ll get something on our own!” Noctis said. The low rumble of Gladio’s laugh filtered through the door.

“Very well. I’ll check in when we get back.”

“Please don’t,” Noctis said, under his breath. He turned to Prompto. “Are you hungry?”

“A little,” Prompto said, his eyes slowly moving up Noctis’s body. “How about you?”

Noctis shrugged and padded over to the bed, removing his socks as he crawled onto it.

Prompto looked at the pillows behind him and shuffled back towards the headboard. “This bed’s really nice. Haven’t felt something this plush since the one at your apartment.”

“Yeah.” Noctis lay down alongside him and nuzzled his head into Prompto’s shoulder.

“You know—” Prompto snorted and fell silent.

Noctis glanced up. “What?

“Oh, just—there were a few times, when I’d sleep over, when I thought about what it’d be like to cuddle with you.”

“You did?” Noctis stared up at him. “And you thought you were straight?”

“I didn’t think of it in a sexual way,” Prompto said. “I just—I don’t know, I wanted to be closer to you sometimes. Some straight guys cuddle with each other, you know.”

“Sounds fishy to me,” Noctis commented.

“Yeah, alright,” Prompto said. “I don’t know why I told you. I knew you’d make fun of me.”

Noctis chuckled. “Sorry, okay? But I’m not wrong, am I? About you not being straight?”

Prompto shrugged, his shoulder jostling Noctis’s head slightly.

“I thought—I thought a lot of things when we were in bed together,” Noctis said quietly. “You’d definitely make fun of me if you knew them all.”

“Definitely,” Prompto said, smiling down at him. They both laughed; Noctis leaned up for a kiss and brought his arm to Prompto’s chest.

“Going to use the bathroom,” Prompto said, after they had lain in silence for a few minutes.

“Okay,” Noctis said. He rubbed Prompto’s side.

“Was thinking of a shower, too,” Prompto murmured. He leaned down to Noctis’s ear. “Maybe you were?”

Noctis’s lips curled into a smile. “Maybe I was.”

Prompto kissed his ear, then slid off the bed carefully. Noctis watched him as he walked across the room, placing his phone on the table before turning on the bathroom light and closing the door behind him.

Noctis turned to the breeze coming through the open window and sighed, seeing the red of his dream spread across the undulating white of the curtains. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, shaking his head. “Why?”

_You know why._

“I don’t.” He stood and held his hands behind his back, listening to the slide guitar of the busker outside the hotel.

_Because he belongs to you, doesn’t he? That way he won’t leave. Not before you get to fuck that tight little ass, anyway._

“No!” Noctis yelled, as a sudden gust rattled the glass. _You’re wrong. I love him._

A cacophony of laughter broke out on the waterfront as the guitarist began a whimsical improvisation.

Noctis glared down at the street below. “What are they laughing at?”

“Noct!”

Noctis turned around to see Prompto’s head, already damp, peeking around the open bathroom door. “Hey.”

“You coming?” Prompto grinned broadly, opening the door slightly to reveal his bare chest.

“Yeah.” Noctis turned around and began walking to the bathroom. “Coming.”

Prompto held the door for Noctis as he stepped in, then shut it and smirked.

“Oh,” Noctis said. His eyes traveled down Prompto’s body. “You’re already naked.”

“I said I wanted to take a shower,” Prompto said. He wrapped his arms around Noctis’s waist and slowly lifted his shirt up his torso. “You don’t take a shower with your clothes on, do you?”

Noctis held his arms above his head, feeling Prompto’s breath on his skin as the black of his T-shirt blinded him momentarily.

“Ah!” Noctis flinched and wriggled his shirt away from his face. “Did you just lick my armpit?”

Prompto pulled the shirt from Noctis’s hands and dropped it to the bathroom floor. “I like your pit hair,” Prompto said, shrugging.

“Oh.” Noctis blushed. “It just tickled.”

“Mhm,” Prompto said, bringing his fingers to the button of Noctis’s cargo pants.

“I like yours, too,” Noctis added, looking down at Prompto’s hands. Prompto undid Noctis’s pants button, then pulled down his zipper carefully.

“Already hard,” Prompto murmured. The head of Noctis’s cock poked through the front of his boxers as Prompto slid the cargo pants down. “Good thing I went slowly with the zipper.”

Noctis chuckled. “Thanks for that. I think getting my foreskin caught in my own zipper right now would be a pretty big fail.”

“Big, huh?” Prompto tapped his fingers to the bulge in Noctis’s underwear. “How big?”

“I didn’t mean that,” Noctis said, blushing. He watched as Prompto tugged at his black silk boxers, dragging them down his thighs slowly until his cock bounced out into the warm, humid air of the bathroom. “You know I’m only average.”

Prompto walked to the shower and tested the water; Noctis followed him, stepping out of his boxers. Prompto looked back and laughed. “Have we found the only thing in existence that His Highness won’t brag about?”

“I—” Noctis looked down at their naked bodies. “Don’t make fun, Prom.”

Prompto slipped his arm around Noctis’s waist, then tilted Noctis’s chin up with his other hand. “What’s wrong?”

“I just feel, I don’t know,” Noctis mumbled. He turned away, looking into the foggy mirror above the vanity. “Vulnerable.”

“I won’t hurt you,” Prompto said. He stepped backwards into the bathtub.

Noctis shut his eyes and sighed. “I know you won’t. You never would.”

“It’s just the two of us here,” Prompto said, dipping his head under the water and then slicking his hair back. “Forget the rest of the world. Why does it matter if I make fun of you if only we can hear it?”

Noctis blinked at him. Prompto held out his hand, helping Noctis step into the tub. Prompto reached around Noctis and flicked the shower curtain shut.

“I guess you’re right,” Noctis said. He leaned in and tentatively kissed Prompto’s cheek.

“Of course I am,” Prompto said, grinning. He held up a shower pouf. “Let’s get you clean.”

“You know,” Noctis said, as Prompto scrubbed the body wash across his chest and abdomen. “We both showered this morning. I don’t think either of us are that dirty.”

“I thought—” Prompto paused and looked at him. “I figured it was so we could—”

Noctis pushed the hair away from his face and shifted his head out of the path of the water. “Oh. Yeah, duh.”

Prompto resumed the movement of the shower pouf, soaping up Noctis’s arms before turning him around and lathering up his back. “I already, uh, used the bathroom.”

Noctis glanced back at him over his shoulder. “What?”

“Noct,” Prompto said, as his hands reached Noctis’s rear. “Come on. How did I think of that and you didn’t? Aren’t you the gay one?”

Noctis blushed as Prompto traveled along the curve of his buttocks, then down his legs. “I did think of that, okay? I was just distracted.”

“Uh-huh.” Prompto reached for the other shower pouf and lathered it before handing it to Noctis. “My turn.”

“So,” Noctis said, as he held up one of Prompto’s arms to soap underneath it. “Um, what do you want to do?”

Prompto shrugged. “I’m good with whatever.”

Noctis switched to his other arm and frowned. “Leaving everything up to me like always, huh?”

“I don’t know,” Prompto said, as Noctis turned him around. “I liked what we did at the waterfall. But it sounds like you want to fuck me, right?”

“Um,” Noctis said, looking up from Prompto’s legs. “I mean, do you want me to?”

“I’ll give it a try,” Prompto said. The water rolled off his back and into Noctis’s hair. “I can honestly say I hadn’t thought much about sticking anything back there until—well, until you started talking about it.”

Noctis stood up and set the shower pouf down. “We’ll play it by ear. I want you to like whatever we’re doing.”

Prompto turned around and rubbed his hands along Noctis’s arms. “It’s going to hurt, isn’t it? I don’t see how it couldn’t. I mean, I still want to try it, but—I don’t know.”

“I’m honestly not sure,” Noctis said, blushing. “I—it always looks really easy in porn. Except in those ones where the guy’s supposed to be in pain or hating it or whatever.”

“What?” Prompto snorted. “Scandal, Your Highness!”

“Shut up,” Noctis whispered, leaning in to kiss him under the falling water.

“Well.” Prompto looked down once the kiss had ended. “I’m still hard, so I can’t be that scared.”

Noctis turned off the shower tap and stepped onto the bathmat. He handed Prompto a towel, then picked up one for himself.

“As long as we tell each other what we’re feeling, it’ll be fine,” Noctis said. He turned to Prompto and rubbed his towel through his hair, then wrapped it around his waist. “You ready for this, Blondie?”

Prompto fastened his towel at his hips and shook his head. “Noct.”

“Sorry, just—I don’t know, figured I’d make light of it.”

“Uh-huh.” Prompto walked past him and opened the door, picking up his phone on the way to the bed.

“We should probably close these doors,” Noctis said, walking to the balcony. “That way the curtains will stay down. No reason for us to put on a show for the entire city.”

Prompto snickered from the bed. “Gladio sent me a video of Iggy onstage with a jazz band.”

“What?” Noctis walked to the bed and crawled onto it to look over his shoulder. “Is he dancing?”

“Of course he’s dancing,” Prompto said, looking up at him. He locked his phone and placed it on the nightstand. “What else would that be?”

“I could say a lot of mean things right now, but I won’t,” Noctis said. He sat behind Prompto with his legs underneath him and started massaging Prompto’s shoulders.

Prompto sighed and leaned back into Noctis’s hands. “This feels nice.”

“Good,” Noctis murmured. “You’re not cold, are you?”

“Nah, it’s still pretty warm. We’ll probably need the covers to sleep, though. It’s not as hot as Lestallum.”

“I don’t think any city’s as hot as Lestallum,” Noctis said. He leaned over Prompto’s shoulder, tracing his lips onto his. “How about you lie back?”

Prompto pushed himself up the bed with his arms and reclined into the pillows.

“And I’ll take that,” Noctis said, unwrapping his towel and dropping it to the ground. Prompto’s cock pointed along the horizon of his body; his balls shifted with the sudden cold of the towel’s removal. Noctis’s gaze traveled up his vanilla, freckled skin, winding around his wiry, lean muscles and golden hair until Prompto’s eyes met his.

“You’re beautiful, Prom,” Noctis whispered. He leaned down to Prompto’s thighs and licked along them, starting from where his body hair began to thicken and moving northward.

“Noct,” Prompto said.

Noctis glanced up. “Yeah? Something wrong?”

“I—I don’t know why I’m thinking about this now.” Prompto clasped his hands together behind his head and moved up against the headboard; Noctis followed him. “Never mind.”

“You sure?” Noctis placed his hands on Prompto’s thighs and squeezed. “I want you to tell me if it’s anything important.”

“It’s nothing we have to talk about right now,” Prompto said. “Sorry.”

“Alright,” Noctis said. He bent down and resumed his exploration of Prompto’s thighs, following the soft white rivulets of his stretch marks. He flicked his tongue to Prompto’s cock a few times before moving down and sucking Prompto’s balls into his mouth, one after the other.

“Ah,” Prompto said, his hips lifting slightly off the bed.

“Sensitive?” Noctis said, looking up.

“Yeah. Feels good, though.”

Noctis licked and gently bit at the wrinkly skin of Prompto’s scrotum. “I love your big balls, Prom.”

Prompto giggled.

“Maybe that’s why you came so much the last time,” Noctis said, pushing his face into Prompto’s crotch and breathing in deeply. “I almost couldn’t keep it all in my mouth.”

“Don’t exaggerate,” Prompto said, his voice lilting. “Also, I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Whatever,” Noctis said, sitting up. “You have nice balls and you come a lot. I’m not complaining.”

Prompto tugged at his arm, pulling Noctis up the bed for a kiss. Noctis licked along the inside of Prompto’s lips and stroked his damp hair.

“Your body’s so pretty,” Noctis said, once he’d sat up again. “I feel like I can see every muscle. And you have the perfect amount of hair.”

“Noct,” Prompto mused. “Do you think these things because I match an ideal, or just because it’s me?”

“I—huh.” Noctis sat on his haunches and contemplated. “I really don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

“Okay.” Prompto looked down at his belly. “So, are you going to suck me off now?”

“I can’t keep up with you,” Noctis said, grinning. “One minute you want a philosophical conversation, the next it’s all about the blow job.”

“Go on,” Prompto said, flicking his eyes to his cock insistently.

Noctis bent down to Prompto’s length and pointed it up with his hand. He sucked and licked at the head a few times before looking up at Prompto again.

“I’ll try to be a little better than last time,” Noctis said. “I know I didn’t really do much.”

“It was good last time,” Prompto said, smiling. “Don’t worry.”

Noctis worked his tongue around the tip of Prompto’s cock, sliding his foreskin back and forth as he slowly took more of it into his mouth. He sat up and moved back along the bed for a better angle, then moved forward with his mouth to swallow inch after inch of Prompto, staring into his eyes all the while.

“I don’t know how you do that,” Prompto said, as Noctis’s lips ventured past the midpoint of his cock.

Noctis drew back and rubbed his tongue along the underside of Prompto’s shaft. “It’s a natural talent.”

Prompto laughed. “Is there anything our prince _doesn’t_ excel at?”

“Can you—tell me this time?” Noctis stroked Prompto as the question hung in the air.

“Oh.” Prompto’s face turned beet red; he averted his eyes. “When I come, you mean?”

“Yeah. Sorry, I just don’t know when to move on to, you know. Other stuff.”

“Uh.” Prompto looked back at him. “Honestly, you should probably start now. I’m pretty close already.”

“Right,” Noctis said, looking down at his hands.

“Should I—” Prompto lifted his legs into the air. “What should I do?”

“Um, maybe just try to hold them up a little,” Noctis said. He moved forward to sit closer to Prompto and patted his legs. “You can rest them on me if you get tired.”

“Okay,” Prompto said. “Let’s do this.”

Noctis thrust two fingers into his mouth, coating them with spit, then brought them between Prompto’s legs. He stroked his index finger down the line from Prompto’s balls and looked up as Prompto giggled.

“Ticklish?” Noctis guessed.

“Nah,” Prompto said, giggling again. “Nervous. My poor little butthole’s trembling in fear.”

Noctis looked down and traced around his pink opening, pulling at the blond hair around it. “You have such a pretty hole, Prom.”

“I hope you’re putting that line in your sonnet,” Prompto quipped, covering his eyes with his hand.

“You okay?” Noctis said, stroking in tiny circles as he looked up at him. “Does it feel good?”

“It’s—yeah, it’s not bad.” Prompto shifted slightly on the duvet and swallowed, then reached his hand to his cock and pulled at it. He flinched as Noctis spit down onto his fingers and pressed at his hole.

“Yeah,” Noctis murmured, as he nudged Prompto’s leg away and held it up with his shoulder. He pushed in through the ring of muscle, wiggling his finger as Prompto held his breath.

“Ah,” Prompto said, tensing. “Hang on.”

Noctis looked up at him and froze. “Prom?”

“It just—ow. It burns.” Prompto covered his face with his palm. “Give me a sec.”

Noctis watched him, then looked down at his hips, at Prompto’s pale body on the white bed. He shook his head as memories of the dream insinuated themselves into his thoughts.

“Alright,” Prompto said, with a small smile. “Think I’m good.”

Noctis nodded and looked down at Prompto’s hole. He turned his wrist slightly and pushed in, poking inside Prompto with his fingertip.

“Noct,” Prompto said, his jaw clenched.

“You like that?” Noctis said, kissing Prompto’s thigh. “You like getting fucked in the ass by my fingers?”

Noctis crooked his digit inside Prompto and shoved further. Prompto clamped down around him.

“To be honest, no,” Prompto said, exhaling. His leg sank down onto Noctis’s shoulder.

“Huh?” Noctis looked up at him and blinked, slowly withdrawing his finger.

“I don’t know. It like, stings, and you’re kind of jabbing me.” Prompto dropped his leg to the bed as Noctis sat up. “I can’t even imagine how much it would hurt to take your dick. Like, how do people do this?”

“Prom,” Noctis said, his shoulders slumping. He looked down and screwed his eyes shut, feeling tears behind them.

“Noct, I’m sorry,” Prompto said.

“No,” Noctis said, opening his eyes. He wiped at his face with his forearm. “Prom, I hurt you. And you’re apologizing?”

Prompto sat up and rubbed Noctis’s arm. “It’s alright, Noct. Hey. Come here.” Prompto pulled Noctis back with him along the bed; Noctis lay down beside him and rested his head on his chest.

“I hurt you,” Noctis repeated. His hot tears ran down the valley of Prompto’s chest. “Just like the dream.”

“Noct,” Prompto said, kissing his head. “You really didn’t. It was uncomfortable, but whatever. I don’t even mind trying again sometime.”

Noctis looked up at him and frowned. “No way. I don’t want you to be in agony because of me.”

“I think you’re taking this a little too seriously, you know?” Prompto rubbed Noctis’s back with his hand slowly.

“How do you figure that?” Noctis scoffed. He clasped his hand to Prompto’s side and pulled himself closer.

“Well, it’s probably not going to be perfect the first time, right?”

Noctis laughed, then sniffled back the rest of his tears. “That was pretty far from perfect, dude.”

“Yeah, but, that’s normal. Isn’t it?” Prompto brought his other hand around Noctis and held him in his arms.

“I don’t know,” Noctis said. “I guess that makes sense, though.”

They both looked up at a sharp knock at the door.

“Yeah?” Noctis called. The door was silent.

“You want me to check it?” Prompto said.

“No, I’ll go.” Noctis rolled to the other side of the bed and pushed himself off, then grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist. He walked to the peephole and peered out.

“Who is it?” Prompto said.

Noctis stepped back and turned to Prompto, scratching his head. “No one’s there.”

“Maybe they’re waiting at the side of the door?”

“This feels weird,” Noctis said. “I’m going to go put on my pajamas. Check your phone and see where Ignis and Gladio are.”

Noctis stopped at his suitcase, then walked to the bathroom, leaving the door ajar. He washed his hands in the basin and examined himself in the mirror, rubbing hot water to his slightly-bloodshot eyes. Once he had changed into his pajamas, he hung the towel on the rack and walked into the room.

“Nothing?”

“No,” Prompto said, looking up at him. He was sitting at the side of the bed, wearing his towel again. “Hope they’re okay.”

Noctis removed the door chain and turned the bolt, giving Prompto another glance before opening the door to the hallway and stepping out.

“Ah!”

“What?” Prompto leaped up and walked to the door.

“There’s a shopping bag,” Noctis said, walking back into the room. He closed the door and locked it behind him, then looked down at the bag’s contents.

“Well?”

Noctis looked up and blushed. “I bet this was Gladio.”

“Uh, sorry?”

Noctis dumped the bag onto the table. Condoms, pamphlets, small dildoes and bottles of lube scattered out.

“Ah,” Prompto said, laughing. “So that’s why no one was at the door. Minimal amount of embarrassment for all involved.”

“Gods,” Noctis said, sifting his fingers through the contents. “I don’t know whether I want to thank him or tell him to mind his own business.”

Prompto picked up one of the pamphlets and unfolded it. His eyes widened. “That—okay, that position is not something I thought was possible.”

Noctis sidled over to him and looked over his shoulder. “What the fuck?”

“I know, right?” Prompto giggled and threw the pamphlet back to the table.

Noctis reached down and picked up one of the bottles, then read the label. He glanced at Prompto sheepishly. “I guess people use this? To make it easier?”

“Oh yeah,” Prompto said, elongating the second word as he rotated the lube in his hand. “I sort of knew that. Don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Guess I thought spit might be enough.”

Noctis snorted and began reading another bottle.

“But yeah, just so we’re clear, it’s definitely not. My butt was not having that.”

“I guess I’ve seen this before, too,” Noctis said. He set the bottle down on the table and placed his hands on his hips. “But you always see guys just slide right in, in porn. Kind of stupid, now that I think about it.”

“It’s alright, Noct,” Prompto said. He moved close to Noctis and embraced him, pressing his cheek into his. “Like I said, we’re still learning.”

“Next time will be better,” Noctis said. He kissed Prompto’s ear, then nuzzled his nose as he pulled away.

“Gonna put my pajamas on,” Prompto said. He smiled and kissed Noctis’s cheek.

Noctis watched him kneel down to his suitcase. Once Prompto had entered the bathroom and closed the door, Noctis walked to the balcony and slid the glass open.

“Oh, gods,” Noctis said, shaking his head as he stepped out past the curtains.

“Nice to see you, too,” Gladio called. “How’s it going over there?”

Noctis walked to the edge of the balcony and leaned against the railing, looking out over the water. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“You got my special delivery, then,” Gladio said, returning his attention to the drink in his hand.

“Just shut up,” Noctis muttered.

Gladio chuckled. “You’re welcome.”

“I—” Noctis turned to the other balcony. “Thanks. I should have listened to you more earlier.”

“Yup,” Gladio said.

“Even though it was painfully awkward,” Noctis added.

Gladio shrugged. “Not everything in life is easy and comfortable. Some things are awkward.” He tipped his drink glass back. “Although, if you two were doing what I think you were, you probably already know that.”

Noctis glanced in the direction of the jazz music in the piazza. “Doesn’t that place ever close?”

“It’s only nine,” Gladio said, glancing at his watch. “Gonna make myself another drink. You want one?”

“What are you drinking?”

“Brandy. I heard Altissia’s supposed to have a lot of good ones.” Gladio looked down at his glass. “This was pretty nice.”

Noctis wrinkled his nose. “Can’t remember if I like that.”

“More for me,” Gladio said, walking back into his room.

“Hey,” Prompto said. Noctis turned around and watched him step onto the balcony. “Wow, it’s pretty out here. And warm.”

“Yeah.” Noctis smiled and wrapped his arm around Prompto as the blond leaned into the railing next to him. “I was just talking to Gladio.”

Prompto snorted.

“Yeah,” Noctis said. “Pretty much.”

“It was him, then?”

“Mhm.” Noctis pointed to a group of mimes performing in the street below. “Whoa, check out those guys.”

“Hey Prompto,” Gladio said, reappearing from behind the curtains. He raised the bottle in his hand. “You want a drink? Brandy.”

“Huh. I’ll try a little, sure.”

“It’ll knock you out,” Noctis warned. “You can barely handle a few beers.”

“I’m building up my tolerance!” Prompto protested.

Noctis grinned and turned back to the opposite balcony. “Where’s Ignis?”

“I’m here, Noct,” Ignis said, walking out. “I was just resting my eyes. Felt a bit woozy after being in that stifling, smoke-filled club for hours.”

“Oh, please,” Gladio said, as he handed a glass to Prompto. “He was loving it. He even got up on stage with the band for a while. I couldn’t believe it.”

“I’m not sure what came over me,” Ignis said, collapsing into one of the wicker chairs. “Then Gladio left without me. What a travesty all around.”

“I had an errand to run,” Gladio said, winking at Noctis.

“Uh,” Prompto said. “This tastes a little weird.”

“Drink it,” Gladio ordered. “You have to wean your taste off those cans of piss that you and Noct call beer.”

“What’d you two have for dinner, Noct?” Ignis said.

“Haven’t eaten yet. Feeling kind of hungry, actually.”

“What?” Ignis opened his eyes and sat up. “How could you forget to eat dinner until nine-thirty at night? What were you doing?”

“Well,” Gladio said, as he poured another drink. “That’s pretty obvious, isn’t it Iggy?”

“Yeah, we’re done with this conversation,” Noctis said, turning away.

“I’ll come over there,” Ignis said, standing up. “We can look through the room service offerings together.”

“Just talk to them here,” Gladio said, chuckling.

“Oh, right. Of course.” Ignis pressed his hand to his forehead. “Actually, I’ll just go find the menu and order you two a balanced meal.”

“Here,” Prompto said, handing the glass back to Gladio. “That wasn’t bad, actually.”

“Told you. Changed your mind yet, Noct?”

Noctis sighed. “Alright, I’ll try it.”

Gladio nodded in approval and handed him a glass.

“They should eat before drinking!” Ignis said, from somewhere inside the hotel room. Gladio made a tipping motion with his hand, then walked to a chair at the other end of the balcony and plopped down. Noctis turned his head to his other side as Prompto giggled.

“Is that your drunk laugh already?” Noctis teased. “It’s only been a few minutes.”

Prompto laughed again and pressed his cheek to Noctis’s shoulder. “It’s nice out here.”

“Yeah.” Noctis sipped the brandy and watched the dim lanterns of the gondola marina, the languid movement of the boats on the water like fireflies in the night.

“I like it here, Noct,” Prompto said. “It feels—I don’t know. I can almost pretend that everything’s fine.”

“It will be,” Noctis said. He kissed Prompto’s hair, then sipped his drink again. “One day. I promised, remember?”

Prompto rubbed his fingers along Noctis’s waist and sighed. “I remember.”

Noctis closed his eyes and tapped his foot lazily to the bassline of the jazz club, its steady time marking the heartbeat of the city. At the sound of distant laughter, he opened his eyes again and drained his glass.

“You remember what I promised?”

Noctis looked over at him. Prompto’s violet eyes were hooded, his long lashes angled towards Noctis in the dusk.

“I remember,” Noctis said. “We’re going to live, together.”

“I know I only said it today,” Prompto continued. “You probably think it’s funny. Or that I’m drunk.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Noctis said, his lip curling into a smile.

“I don’t want you to forget it, though.” Prompto turned to him. “No matter what. This is what’s ours.”

Noctis leaned in to his lips, supporting himself against the balcony railing as Prompto’s weight pressed against his chest. The drink glass wobbled in his fingers. _Ours_. When the kiss ended and Prompto rested his head on his shoulder again, Noctis stared up into the endless darkness above them, certain more than ever before that he would wake up to the sun the next morning.


	31. Performances

_I’m going to fight for it._

Prompto turned from the pastel of the ceiling, warm and shadowed in the morning light, to Noctis. The prince had curled into a loose ball in the night, his wrists pressed against each other at Prompto’s side, his nose angled down at the corner of Prompto’s shoulder.

 _Can I protect you?_ Prompto crept his far hand across his body, slowly, weightlessly, so as not to wake Noctis. He reached out his fingertips to Noctis’s cheek, pulling back just before reaching it and laying his hand on his own chest instead. He thought back to the motel roof and closed his eyes. _I’m not strong._

The shafts of light from the balcony quivered on the bed as the curtains moved in the breeze. Prompto rolled over to face the outside world and recalled the wasps in the meadow, wincing at the memory of his leg on fire. He blinked, seeing Noctis’s panicked visage, feeling the tenderness and determination of his hands as he carried him to the water, the pain washing away.

_So, this is what it feels like to be rescued by a prince._

Prompto snorted softly into his pillow. Behind every joke lay at least a fragment of truth.

“You can do it, Prompto,” he murmured. Prompto glanced up as the light in the room sharpened, the clouds outside moving on past the sun. He reached for the pad of paper and pen on his nightstand and propped himself up with his elbow carefully, moving the sheets as little as possible.

 _Noctis._ Prompto paused with his pen after writing the name in slow, looping script, then placed a period. He breathed in pensively and began sketching the contours of two arms, strong and lean. Once he was satisfied, he added on the hands, their fingers long and graceful, then the soft, sloping curve of Noctis’s back.

Prompto smirked at the shading on the shoulders and biceps. _Overdid the muscles a little._

He felt the weight on the bed shift behind him, then the heat of Noctis’s breath at the nape of his neck. “Prompto.”

Prompto furrowed his brow and flipped to his other side. Noctis stared up at him from his pillow, his sapphire eyes blinking in the sun.

“Noct,” Prompto said. He brought his hand to Noctis’s cheek and stroked up to his ear, brushing his hair away.

Noctis’s cheek dimpled at his touch. “Morning, babe.”

“What’s wrong?” Prompto rubbed his thumb along Noctis’s temple. “Was it another dream?”

“Huh?” Noctis reached his arm to Prompto’s back. “What about a dream?”

“You just—you called my name.” Prompto leaned down and pecked a gentle kiss to Noctis’s mouth; Noctis’s tongue tapped at his lips. “I thought it might have been a nightmare again.”

“Oh,” Noctis croaked. He moved his fingers up and down Prompto’s spine. “No, I just woke up normally and you were the first thing I saw.”

Prompto smiled and moved down under the covers, pressing himself into Noctis along the lengths of their bodies.

“Ah,” Noctis said, squinting as the light flooded into his face. “It’s bright out.”

“Yeah, you slept in. It’s already nine-thirty.”

“I went to sleep later than you,” Noctis protested, nudging his face under Prompto’s chin to hide from the light.

“Yeah.” Prompto scratched his head. “I feel like I just blacked out after we ate dinner.”

“Blacked out is right,” Noctis said, his breath hot on Prompto’s neck. “You drank three glasses of brandy and barely stayed awake long enough to eat.”

“What?”

“Yup.” Noctis chuckled. “Gladio was having fun, getting you drunk. The food took forever to get up here, too, so Ignis was pissed.”

“Huh.” Prompto glanced down into the mess of Noctis’s hair. “What’d you do the rest of the night, then?”

“Aside from watching you longingly?” Noctis murmured.

“Noct,” Prompto said, blushing.

“I worked on my poem about you.”

Prompto leaned back to look into his eyes. “No, you didn’t.”

Noctis grinned. “Believe whatever you like.”

“Well,” Prompto said, poking his index finger to Noctis’s navel under the sheets. “Come on. Show me it, then.”

“Ah!” Noctis yelped, swatting Prompto’s hand away. “You won’t get anywhere doing that; I don’t care how cute you are. You should know by now that I don’t negotiate with terrorists.”

“Fine,” Prompto sighed. “No pressure. I haven’t finished my thing, anyway.”

Noctis propped himself up and turned to his nightstand, reaching for his phone. “I’ll read you the first sentence.”

“Because that’s all you have?”

“No,” Noctis said, unlocking his phone and glancing up at Prompto. “But I might start revising some of the lines to less flattering ones if you keep it up.”

Prompto giggled and sat up on the bed, crossing his legs. “Alright, go.”

“To Prompto,” Noctis said.

“What, that’s the first line?” Prompto shook his head. “I didn’t expect much, but that’s barely even trying.”

“It’s the title,” Noctis replied. “And stop interrupting.”

“Okay, okay.”

Noctis cleared his throat. “His eyes are like the Crystal’s light, deep blue and violet, glowing bright.”

Prompto tapped a finger to his chin. “Is the Crystal actually blue and violet? I’ve never looked at it up close.”

“His hair like gold which shines,” Noctis continued, ignoring him. “A yellow sun that rises true at my side each morn, warmth’s triumph over cold.”

“Huh,” Prompto said, after a few seconds.

Noctis pressed at the side of his phone and returned it to the nightstand. “I was kind of hoping for more of a reaction.”

“No, I liked it,” Prompto said, reaching for Noctis’s hand. “You even used, like, old-timey language. I’m impressed.”

“It took me an hour to write that,” Noctis said, his grin returning.

“That one sentence?”

“Yeah. With Ignis helping me, too.”

“What?” Prompto dropped Noctis’s hand to the bed. “How can I look at him with a straight face now?”

“I didn’t tell him what I was doing; I just asked him for help thinking of words,” Noctis said, watching as Prompto pushed the covers away and pressed his feet to the ground. “Wait.”

Prompto turned back to him. “Yeah?”

“Come back to bed,” Noctis said. He fluttered his eyes closed and puckered his lips.

“Oh, you,” Prompto said, climbing back into the sheets while shaking his head. “Ow, fuck!”

Noctis opened his eyes and sat up. “What?”

“Ah,” Prompto said, lifting the pen and paper from underneath himself and grimacing. “Stabbed in the butt by a pen.”

“You know, we have those toys now,” Noctis said, smirking. “You don’t have to use writing implements to practice.”

“Very funny,” Prompto said, rolling his eyes.

“What’s on that pad?” Noctis said, lifting his chin.

“Oh.” Prompto held the paper and pen to his chest. “Nothing.”

Noctis quirked an eyebrow. “Let me see.”

“I—okay, I guess you read part of your poem to me,” Prompto said. He looked down at his drawing of Noctis’s upper body, then handed it to him bashfully.

“Noctis,” Noctis read. He looked up at Prompto. “Is this me? Wait—never mind, that’s a stupid question.”

“I used to sketch sometimes in school,” Prompto said haltingly. “Remember?”

“Yeah. You always had those drawings in your notebooks.” Noctis smiled and handed the pad back to him. “It looks pretty good.”

“Does that mean much? I mean, you are your own biggest fan.”

“Which means I have high standards for drawings of myself,” Noctis retorted. “And I still haven’t gotten my kiss.”

“Alright,” Prompto said, shuffling across the bed. He bent down and kissed Noctis, pressing his hand into his at the center of the bed.

“Gods,” Noctis said, breaking off the kiss at the sound of banging on the door. “What?” he shouted, looking over his shoulder.

“It’s Gladio and I! Are you two decent?”

Noctis covered his face with his hand, then rolled off the bed. Prompto chuckled and watched him walk to the door.

“Good morning,” Ignis said. Gladio nodded to them, still not looking fully awake. “May we come in?”

“Can I say no?” Noctis grumbled, stepping to the side.

“Oh dear,” Ignis said, once they’d entered the room. His eyes roved over the items from Gladio’s shopping trip the previous night. “Perhaps you’d like to stow those somewhere private?”

“This _is_ private,” Noctis said. “It’s our own room.”

Gladio chuckled. “He’s got you there, Iggy.”

“Well,” Ignis said, retrieving the plastic bag from the floor and scooping the paraphernalia into it. “Let’s just tidy them before housekeeping comes by. We’re trying to avoid unnecessary gossip, lest the wrong people put two and two together.”

Noctis placed his hands on his hips and scowled. “Do you need something?”

“Noct, it’s nearly ten,” Ignis said. He finished his task and placed the plastic bag in the wardrobe. “We should be getting to Maagho to meet with Weskham. We’re not in Altissia for a holiday.”

“Yeah, okay,” Noctis said. “Go back to your room, then; I’ll get ready now.”

“Uh, there’s something else,” Gladio said, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms. “Cor wants us to check in with the Resistance cell here in Altissia. He thinks it would improve morale if they met you in person.”

“You think so?” Noctis said, reaching under his pajama top to scratch his back. “I feel—I don’t know, I don’t think I do the inspirational thing that well.”

Prompto snorted. “You kidding?”

“You don’t count,” Noctis said, turning to him and winking.

“Did a lot of our people wind up in Altissia after the Crown City fell?” Ignis asked. “Considering our own difficulties in making it across the sea, I confess to being surprised.”

“Most of them were already here when it happened,” Gladio said. “A lot of Lucian expats live in Accordo, going back to before it was part of the Empire. More came over after, too.”

“How?” Prompto said. “Hasn’t that ferry been out of commission since we first got to Galdin?”

Gladio shrugged. “They found a way, I guess. Not like that ferry’s the only ship in the entire world. Ask them when we meet them, if you’re that interested.”

“Oh, one more thing,” Ignis said. “His Majesty made arrangements for you to be fitted for new attire at a tailor here. Quite a famous one, I gather. It was meant to be done in the week leading up to the wedding, but—well, we may as well go in. It’s all already been paid for.”

Noctis looked down at his suitcase. “What’s wrong with the clothes I already have?”

“You might want something a bit smarter,” Ignis suggested. “Especially if you plan to meet with representatives of the Altissian government.”

“Fine, I guess,” Noctis sighed.

“You feeling okay, Prompto?” Gladio said, turning to him.

“What?” Prompto looked up from his phone. “Uh, yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Gladio chuckled. “Ask our friend Brandy.”

“You were the one pushing refills into my hand,” Prompto said, frowning. He walked to his suitcase and began looking through it. “I’m going to get dressed.”

“Just meet us at our room,” Ignis said, as Gladio opened the door.

“Sure, now buzz off.” Noctis waved his hand.

“Huh,” Prompto said, once Noctis had locked the door again.

Noctis’s eyes followed him as Prompto passed him on his way to the bathroom. “What?”

“Just thinking about you in a suit,” Prompto said, winking at him before closing the door.

“I want to see you in one,” Noctis said, leaning against the doorframe. He glanced at the reflection of the sun on the lagoon and smiled. “Again, I mean. It’s been too long.”

“What do you mean, again?” The low hum of water filling the basin came from the bathroom.

“Senior formal,” Noctis said.

“Oh, yeah,” Prompto said, turning off the water and bringing his toothbrush to his mouth. “My rented tuxedo. I think it was a size too small.”

“You looked so sexy in it.” Noctis stroked his fingertips along the wood grain. “Like a movie star or something. And I couldn’t keep my eyes off your ass the entire night.”

The bathroom was quiet as Prompto brushed his teeth. “You’re such a flirt,” Prompto said, after he’d spit.

“It’s true,” Noctis said. “Can’t you take a compliment?”

Prompto laughed; Noctis heard his stream hitting the toilet bowl. “I guess we balance each other out in that way.”

“I want you to believe in yourself more,” Noctis said, frowning. “And I’m not just talking about appearance stuff. Everything. Okay?”

The toilet flushed, followed by a long pause. Noctis looked up as the clinking of Prompto’s belt broke the silence. “I’ll see what I can do, Noct.”

“Babe.”

“Yeah?”

“I believe in you,” Noctis said.

“Yup,” Prompto said, opening the door. Noctis pushed himself from the doorframe and brought his hand to Prompto’s waist as he walked out, kissing him once he’d lifted his chin.

“Your turn,” Prompto said softly, as Noctis looked into his eyes.

“Yeah.” Noctis kneeled down to his suitcase and pulled some clothes out of it. “Hey!”

Prompto looked up from his camera. “What?”

“I just thought of something,” Noctis said, turning back to him. “How about we both get fitted for suits today?”

“Um.” Prompto looked down at himself. “Why?”

“Who cares why? Do we need a reason?”

Prompto snorted and returned his gaze to his camera. “I don’t think your dad intended it for me.”

“Well, he’s not the king anymore,” Noctis said, with a flick of his hand. “I am.”

“Heads up,” Prompto said, raising his camera and snapping a picture of Noctis.

“Do you need more shots of me in sleepwear?” Noctis grumbled. “And don’t change the subject.”

“I’m not,” Prompto said, dropping the camera from his face. “I just—okay, let’s do it. I just think I’ll look silly next to you. What even happens in a fitting? I’ve gotten all my clothes at department stores, you know?”

Noctis smiled and began to take off his pajamas. “They just measure you and ask you some questions. About color, fabric, patterns—come to think of it, I never really had much of a choice in that.” Noctis slipped his T-shirt over his head and balanced on one leg as he pulled on his jeans. “You can ask for whatever you want, though.”

“I think I’ll just copy you,” Prompto said, placing his camera, as well as the hotel’s pad and pen, into his bag.

“We’re going to match?” Noctis grinned broadly. “That’s pretty, uh—”

“Gay?” Prompto volunteered.

Noctis laughed and kicked his pajamas towards his suitcase, then walked to the bathroom. “You did say you wanted to be my date to stuff. Might as well get the matching suit now.”

There was another knock at the door. Prompto slung his bag to his shoulder and walked to the other side of the room.

“Is Noct still getting ready?” Ignis said, once Prompto had opened the door. “Truly, he’s slow as molasses in the morning.”

“I’m ready now,” Noctis said, emerging from the bathroom. “Tell Specs to stop nagging.”

Gladio chuckled. “Sorry the fate of our nation’s getting in the way of your beauty sleep.”

“You can stop nagging, too,” Noctis said to him. He slipped his phone into his pocket and walked to the door. “And I didn’t even sleep in today.”

“Perhaps by your standards,” Ignis muttered, as Noctis walked to the top of the staircase.

“Got everything?” Gladio said, patting Prompto’s back as the door closed behind him.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah,” Prompto said, following the others to the stairs.

“Sure you’re not hung over?”

Prompto frowned at Gladio as he led the way to the lobby. Noctis wrapped his hand around his waist as they walked down the stairs.

“He’s just messing with you,” Noctis said.

“I know.” Prompto sighed, then turned to Noctis and kissed his cheek.

Noctis smiled, pausing on the last step before the landing. “What was that for?”

“No reason,” Prompto said. He stopped at the landing and looked up at Noctis. “Well, actually—”

“What?”

“I just thought it might be a while before I could kiss you again,” Prompto said, tapping his fingers to the rosewood banister. “Sounds like we have a busy day ahead of us.”

Noctis glanced ahead at the hotel entrance, where Gladio and Ignis had stopped at the beginning of the sun. “No more kisses in the middle of crowded bridges, then?”

Prompto snorted. “Maybe we should save those for special occasions.”

“I at least want a proper kiss, then,” Noctis said. He stepped down to the landing and lifted his arms to Prompto’s shoulders, holding his hands behind his head as he leaned into his lips. The kiss lingered on, lit by the dripping crystals of the hotel’s grand chandelier, until two boys bumped into them, trading whispered laughs.

“Hey,” Noctis called. They glanced back at him from further up the staircase. “Watch where you’re going.”

“ _Finocchi_ ,” one of them said, before sticking out his tongue. They both laughed, then jogged the rest of the way up the stairs and disappeared down the hallway.

Prompto scratched his neck. “What was that about?”

“Guess,” Noctis said darkly. He glanced at Gladio, who was watching them. “Come on.”

“Alright,” Prompto said, looking up at the lights of the chandelier before following him to the entrance.

“You okay?” Gladio was saying.

“Just great,” Noctis said, rolling his eyes. Gladio reached out and patted his shoulder.

“There’s a gondola stop right over there,” Ignis said, shielding his eyes from the sun.

“That boat looks pretty small,” Prompto said, as they crossed the square. Pigeons and seagulls scattered from their path. “Can it fit all of us?”

“They’re sturdier than they look,” Ignis said. “My parents and I shared them with other families regularly on our holiday here. Sometimes more than one, come to think of it.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t have Gladio with you,” Noctis said.

“Keep laughing,” Gladio rumbled. “Would be a shame if you tripped into the canal, though.”

“Gondola!” cried the gondolier. “Passengers? _Perfetto_ , climb aboard.”

They walked onto the boat; Ignis steadied himself as it rocked with their sudden weight.

“Noct!” Prompto said, patting the seat beside him. “Come sit next to me.”

Noctis stepped into the gondola and wobbled, then flopped down next to him once he’d regained his balance. “Where else would I sit?”

Prompto smiled and slipped his hand into his, their fingers intertwining on the periwinkle and gold upholstery.

“All set? Where are we headed?”

“Maahgo, please,” Ignis said.

“ _Certo_.” The gondola pushed off from the dock, meandering its way down the narrow, shaded waterways that crisscrossed the heart of the city.

“This entire city smells so damp and salty,” Prompto said.

“What’d you expect?” Noctis said, nudging him.

Prompto leaned over the side of the boat to photograph a tall balcony over the canal. “No, it’s not bad, I’m just not used to it.”

“Aw,” Gladio said. He held out his hand to Prompto. “Hand me your camera.”

“Uh, you want to take a picture of something? Sure.”

Gladio looked down at the various buttons for several seconds, then raised the camera to Noctis and Prompto, taking several photographs before handing it back.

“Hey,” Prompto said, as he flicked through the reel. “Not too shabby. You even got Noct to smile in one.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that was all me,” Gladio said, winking.

“Oh,” Ignis said, turning from the front of the gondola to face the rest of them. “You see the grand stairway on the other side of that piazza? I believe that leads up to the First Secretary’s residence, as well as the rest of the government buildings.”

“That’s right, _signore_ ,” the gondolier said. “Via Fejeno. There’s a wonderful restaurant on the square across from her house as well. Perfect for a romantic dinner, or even just caffè with friends.”

“Sounds nice,” Prompto murmured. Noctis rubbed his thumb along Prompto’s in agreement.

Gladio chuckled, pointing to a group of masked performers at the side of the water. “Hey, look at that.”

“The _commedia dell’arte_ ,” remarked the gondolier, as the performers pointed back at them, drawing laughs from their audience. “Pierrot in white, _Il Dottore_ in black, _Pantalone_ in red. And _Arlecchino_ in the checkered suit and bronze mask; you call him harlequin, I think.”

“I love how much art there is here,” Prompto said, turning to watch the performance as they sailed on.

“ _Sì, signore_.” The gondola slowed as they slipped underneath a large building at the end of the canal and neared the warm lights and earthy scents of the floating market. “ _La vita è bella_ , and why not celebrate it?”

“I don’t think that message ever reached Insomnia,” Prompto said, tapping his knuckles to Noctis’s thigh.

“Here we are,” the gondolier said. Gladio stepped onto the pier and handed several gil notes to him.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Noctis said, smiling at Prompto.

“Thinking about something?” Prompto said, as they stood on the pier, watching the gondola float away.

“Just about my mom, actually,” Noctis said softly. He leaned into Prompto’s chest and took a deep breath. “I wonder if she ever got to see this place.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said. He rubbed between Noctis’s shoulder blades and remained silent.

“My, my,” boomed a rich voice from behind the bar. “How you’ve grown, little prince.”

“Huh,” Noctis said, wrinkling his brow and shuffling towards the center of the market.

Weskham chuckled. “Ah, you didn’t even like being called that when you only came up to my knee. My apologies.”

“No worries,” Noctis said, taking a seat on one of the bar stools. “I remember you, actually. How’d you know it was us, though?”

“Cid told me, of course.” Weskham finished shining a wine glass and reached above his head to insert it into its rack. “Been a while since I’d seen the old bird. Just as animated as ever, though, with his news of you following in your father’s footsteps.”

“We’ll see about that,” Noctis said, looking past Weskham to the dark currents that surrounded them.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?” Weskham handed menus to them, then reached under the bar for glasses. “Oh, and order anything you want. It’s on the house.”

“Nice,” Gladio said.

“Um, this is Ignis, that’s Gladio.” He turned to his other side. “And this is Prompto. They’re my Crownsguard.”

“Weskham Armaugh.” His eyes twinkled as he pushed glasses of water in front of each of them. “I was a friend of His Majesty’s. I was sorry to hear—I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“It’s fine,” Noctis said, sipping his water. “And just call me by my name. I should at least be able to get away from the formalities outside of Lucis.”

“Very well.” Weskham pulled a stool close to his side of the bar and sat down. “Sorry, you get to my age and you need to sit down every once in a while.”

“Hey, no problem,” Prompto said. “I know all about sore butts.”

“Goodness,” Ignis muttered.

“Okay,” Gladio said. Noctis remained silent, his cheeks reddening.

“I meant—” Prompto looked down the line at the other three men. “I meant how we’re in the car all the time, alright?”

Weskham watched them with a smile, folding his hands in front of himself once Prompto had finished talking. “I can see the four of you are quite close.”

“You could say that,” Gladio said, smirking. Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Your—Noctis,” Weskham said, waiting for him to lift his gaze again. “You’ll notice that, even though you’re outside of Lucis, our countrymen are ubiquitous in Altissia. This is the largest Lucian expatriate community in the world.”

“Yes, I remember seeing something about that,” Ignis said.

“You’ll find plenty of opportunities to aid our cause,” Weskham said quietly. “Even many Altissians are sympathetic, given the long relationship between Lucis and Accordo.”

“I hope so,” Noctis said, glancing at Gladio.

“A word of caution, though.” Weskham raised his chin to a passing gondola; the four turned to watch its silent, confident path through the water. “Altissians have a saying: you can only rock a boat so much before it flips completely, and you drown.”

“Well, that’s cheery,” Prompto said.

“Sometimes,” Weskham continued, “it’s better to be cautious and only get some of what you want, rather than try for everything and risk ending up with less than you had to begin with.”

“It’s sage advice,” Ignis said. “I’m ready to order, if the rest of you are.”

“Oh, please,” Weskham said, standing up. “By all means. I can talk and prepare food at the same time.”

After they had told him their orders, Weskham walked to a chef at the other end of the restaurant.

“So that dish you ordered,” Prompto said to Noctis. “It’s raw fish? But not sushi?”

“Yeah.” Noctis patted Prompto’s hand under the bar. “I figured I’d try it. I don’t remember seeing much Altissian food back home.”

“There are many places, actually,” Ignis said. “Altissian restaurants in the Crown City tend to be on the pricier side, though. The sort of restaurants with dress codes.”

“Yuck,” Noctis said. “No wonder I never bothered.”

“I just ordered the lasagna,” Gladio said, crossing his arms. “All the other stuff looked a little too dainty for me.”

“Boys,” Weskham said, returning to the bar. “I’m sure you have questions. I may not be able to answer all of them, but I’ll do my best.”

“What’s the situation with the Empire?” Gladio said, after Noctis had looked at him. “You get any problems with Nifs here?”

“It’s an uneasy coexistence,” Weskham said. “There’s almost never any open violence. A few troublemakers disappear every once in a while, and there are always those sinister-looking fellows watching from the tables of caffès or the mouths of alleys. I’d advise you to steer clear of them; no good can come of drawing their attention.”

“What—” Prompto gulped. “What do you mean, people disappear?”

“I mean exactly that, son,” Weskham said. “Journalists, artists, politicians, even ordinary bartenders or store clerks who make too much noise criticizing the Empire—they’re just gone one day. That, or they leave a note and jump from their balconies into the canal, where they’re found the next morning. Most people realize they were pushed, but what can we do?”

“Why not fight back?” Noctis said, kicking the bar. “Instead of living in fear?”

“You’re talking about ordinary folks, son,” Weskham said, sighing. “We can’t do what you do. It’s futile to try. And the Empire’s been so powerful for so long; people just became numb to it at some point, more or less.”

Noctis clenched Prompto’s hand and looked up at the ceiling. “I heard that Luna’s here,” he said, after a few seconds. “Do you know where she is?”

“Ah,” Weskham said. “Yes, I figured that that was why you’d come to Accordo. To think, I’d been preparing to cater your wedding a few months ago.”

“It’s—not that. I just need to make sure she’s safe, and we’re supposed to complete these, like, rituals. I don’t know.”

“It’s alright, Noctis,” Weskham said kindly. “Let’s see—no, our government won’t reveal her location. I’m not surprised, since the Empire is demanding her surrender. There are also rumors that the Imperial military is preparing to lay siege to the city to secure her. It may also be why the High Commander is in the city, seeing as she’s his sister.”

“Ravus,” Noctis said, frowning.

Prompto scratched his head. “That’s the guy from the fort, right? The one who wanted to fight?”

“Indeed,” Ignis replied. “I must admit to being chagrined at hearing of his presence here. It does not bode well.”

“Well,” Prompto said, swinging back and forth on the bar stool. “Aranea turned out to be alright. Maybe we just need to talk to him more?”

Noctis snorted. “Not likely. Maybe you didn’t notice his sword aiming for my neck the last time.”

“I—” Prompto looked down and shook his head. “Sorry, Noct.”

“It’s okay,” Noctis said, turning to him and placing his hand on his thigh. “I forgot that we’ve never talked about him. But he’s had it out for my family since we were kids. There’s no way he’ll hug things out with us.”

Prompto shrugged. “Maybe Luna can do something.”

“There’s an idea,” Ignis said. “If we can secure Lady Lunafreya, it may yield opportunities for some sort of understanding with the High Commander, at least.”

“Another thing about the Oracle,” Weskham said. “She’s supposed to be making a speech in front of the cathedral in a few days. That may be your opportunity to make contact.”

“On the other hand, that’s exactly what the Empire would expect us to do.” Gladio removed his elbows from the bar as the chef placed their plates in front of them.

“I leave these weighty decisions in your eight capable hands,” Weskham said, stepping back. “Bon appétit; I’ll stop talking and let you enjoy your meals.”

Noctis glanced at Prompto’s lasagna. “You got the same thing as Gladio.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said, swallowing a bite. “It’s good. How’s your cold fish?”

“It’s, uh, interesting,” Noctis said, with a small laugh.

At the other end of the bar, Ignis ordered a coffee from the chef. A stiff breeze whistled through the market, fluttering the cloth napkin in Prompto’s lap. Noctis picked at his fish and glanced at Prompto intermittently, noticing his quietude.

“I can’t believe I’m going to finally meet Lady Lunafreya,” Prompto said, after a while.

Noctis set his fork down and chewed. “Nervous?”

“It’s—I am,” Prompto said, scratching the back of his neck. “But it’s not because of what you think. Not because we’re together. Well, not exactly.”

“Oh?” Noctis reached his hand to Prompto and stroked his thumb along his shoulder.

“Noct, um, you know I’ve always wanted to meet her. And I told you it wasn’t because I had a crush on her or anything. I mean, how could I, right? I’ve never even seen her in person.”

“Prompto,” Noctis sighed, dropping his hand.

“I know, I’m getting to the point.” Prompto looked down at his food and took a small bite as Noctis waited. “Uh, well, Luna gave me something a long time ago. Something that means a lot to me. And I’ve always wanted to thank her for that.”

“Thank her?”

Prompto looked up into Noctis’s eyes and swallowed. “Now more than ever.”

“You’re not making any sense,” Noctis said, furrowing his brow. “You don’t even know her.”

Prompto suddenly let out a tiny sob and dropped his fork with a clatter, bringing his hand to his eyes.

“Prompto?” Noctis said, standing up in alarm. “What’s wrong?”

“I—I wanted to tell you,” Prompto managed to say. He looked up at Noctis, his eyes pink in the soft light over the bar. “It just never felt like the right time, you know?”

“Prom—” Noctis leaned in and took him into his arms. Prompto rested his cheek against the heat of Noctis’s T-shirt. “I seriously don’t know what’s going on right now.”

“I don’t even know why I started crying,” Prompto said. “It’s not like it’s anything bad. It’s like—like ten years of our life coming out at once, or something.”

Noctis looked up at the clicking of heels on the varnished planks of the restaurant floor. A group of uniformed men, led by a middle-aged woman in a turquoise pantsuit, had reached the corner of the bar adjacent to them.

“Is this an inopportune time?” the woman said, as she leaned into the bar jauntily. “I admit to being touched at seeing a world leader so unfiltered.”

“It is, actually.” Noctis scowled. “And I think you have the wrong person. I’m a seafood chef from Lestallum.”

“Your Highness, let’s not play these games.” She turned to Weskham and smiled cryptically. “Speaking of your alias as a chef, my office has removed the record of your entry from the books; it was ringing some alarm bells in the wrong quarters. Call it a gesture of goodwill.”

“I still don’t know who you are,” Noctis said. He rubbed Prompto’s back as the blond straightened up again.

“Camelia Claustra, First Secretary of the Accordo Protectorate.” The final word left her tongue uneasily, and she seemed to pause in spite of herself.

Weskham sighed. “I see you’ve as much of an ear for gossip as ever, my dear.”

“I should be chiding _you_ , Weskham,” she said, turning to him again. “How could you have such an esteemed guest at your establishment and not invite me for an introduction?”

“I knew you’d be along of your own accord,” Weskham said, pulling a bottle of white wine from the refrigerator beneath the bar.

“Oh, no,” Camelia said, lifting her hand. “It’s far too early for that. I’m here to pay the prince a welcome, as well as discuss the matter which has doubtless brought him to our shores.”

“Sorry?” Noctis said.

“She likely refers to the Oracle, Noct,” Ignis whispered.

“Precisely,” Camelia said.

“You have Luna?” Noctis crossed his arms. “Where is she? Can I see her?”

“In due time.” Camelia surveyed the four of them before returning her gaze to Noctis. “I appreciate that this is not the response you may have hoped for, but you have to understand the razor’s edge upon which I balance in this matter.”

“I’m listening,” Noctis said.

“One of my favorite traits in a man,” she replied, earning a chortle from Weskham. “First, Lady Lunafreya is in our care here in the city. She does not relish her confinement, but as the alternative is being taken prisoner by Niflheim, she acquiesces to it.”

Noctis scratched his neck. “But I heard that you were allowing her to speak to the public soon.”

“Yes, which brings me to my second point. The Oracle’s presence in the city is increasingly a danger to my people. What we had thought would be a simple humanitarian decision has brought the bulk of the Imperial Army and Navy to our doorstep, as well as the High Commander and the Chancellor.”

“Damn it,” Gladio muttered.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Camelia said, nodding to Gladio. “For this reason, we are interested in arranging the terms by which we can release the Oracle to Lucian custody, thus removing us from the conflict between your two governments.”

“I don’t get it,” Prompto said. “If all you care about is taking the heat off yourself, why wouldn’t you just hand Luna over to the Empire? Not that I’m saying you should, of course. Just—”

“Do not misunderstand my position.” She crossed her arms and looked out over the lagoon. “While we are officially neutral, we are deeply concerned over the Empire’s current direction, and the fall of Lucis creates a power vacuum on the world stage. My primary concern is the safety, then the prosperity of my people, and a healthy balance of power is the best way to ensure these. Without external enemies, Gralea’s insatiable gaze will turn inward, and what little freedoms we have here will be stripped away.”

“So basically,” Noctis said, “we’re just pawns in some family squabble between you and the Empire.”

Camelia turned to him and smiled wistfully. “We are all pawns, Your Highness. Whether of men, gods or fate of some other kind. But even a pawn makes its moves, and these can lead to joy or sorrow both.”

“I don’t believe that,” Noctis said. He looked into Prompto’s eyes as he continued. “I think there are more possibilities out there than people think.”

“Then I dearly hope you are right,” she said, pivoting towards the gondola pier before glancing over her shoulder. “Come to my residence tomorrow evening, and we can discuss terms. Until then.”

“Well,” Weskham said, as they watched her gondola slip off down the canal. “She may seem frosty, but you can work with her. She cares, underneath it all.”

“A studied politician,” Ignis remarked. “She revealed no more than absolutely necessary for accomplishing her goal.”

“When you live under the thumb of Niflheim, that’s often the best approach,” Weskham said. “You boys done, or are you still eating?”

“Oh yeah,” Noctis said, shaking his head and looking at Prompto again. “We were in the middle of talking about something, weren’t we?”

“Uh, let’s just talk about it later,” Prompto said, standing and pushing his bag up his shoulder. “The food was awesome, Weskham. Thanks.”

“Come back anytime,” he said, as they walked to the pier.

“Next thing on the agenda,” Gladio said, his voice trailing off.

“Right,” Ignis said, turning to Gladio. “Where is this resistance safehouse, anyway?”

“I have the instructions from Cor,” Gladio said. “We’re meeting a contact, and he’ll take us back there once he confirms who we are.”

Prompto furrowed his brow. “Uh, do you know this guy? Because if not, how can we confirm who _he_ is?”

“We have a way,” Gladio said. “And if there’s any sign of funny business, we can walk away. This isn’t a make or break thing.”

“What exactly does Cor want me to do?” Noctis said, as a gondola approached the pier. “Deliver some big speech?”

“No,” Gladio said, as they clambered in. “Just seeing you should lift their spirits. He wanted me to evaluate them as well, since he hasn’t been able to make it to Altissia yet.”

“Where to, gentlemen?”

“Tiarta Square,” Gladio said.

“That’s the piazza we passed earlier,” Ignis pointed out. “Where the stairs to the upper part of the city start.”

“Isn’t that where those clowns were?” Prompto said.

Gladio chuckled. “Sure.”

“Noct?” Prompto turned to him. “You okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” Noctis said, leaning back in the seat and closing his eyes. “Just thinking about what you were saying before.”

“I said I’d tell you about it later,” Prompto said. “We’ve got more important stuff to do right now.”

Noctis chuckled and reached for Prompto’s hand. “Yes, sir.”

The gondola slowed as it reached a tangle of other boats; Prompto closed his eyes, feeling sleepy in the thick heat of midday. Gladio and Ignis’s conversation blurred in his ears until he sat up and blinked at the sudden jolt of the gondola coming to a stop.

“Gentlemen,” the gondolier said, as he held out his hand to Tiarta Square. “It has been a pleasure.”

“Goody,” Ignis said, once they had all disembarked. “Those performers are still here.”

“Can we watch them for a while?” Prompto said, reaching for his camera. He rubbed his eyes and moved his shoulders, feeling refreshed.

“Go ahead,” Gladio said. “I have to look around for where we’re going, anyway.”

The group moved towards the makeshift stage, in front of which several dozen chairs were filled with spectators. Gladio lagged behind, looking down the various streets and alleys that opened onto the piazza. The other three gathered at the edge of the crowd, standing between the buildings and the front of the audience.

“How dare a nincompoop like you question _my_ knowledge of Ancient Lucian,” a tall, black-robed man was saying. His mask featured a large, shiny beak that covered his nose. “Not only am I the only doctor in this gods-forsaken quarter of town, but I studied in Insomnia itself! At the University of Insomnia, no less!”

A boisterous laugh rippled through the audience.

“There isn’t a University of Insomnia, is there?” Prompto whispered.

“That’s the joke, babe,” Noctis murmured.

“Oh, right.” Prompto fiddled with his camera.

“I do question it, you insufferable arse, and I declare that you know no more than my manservant does of the language!” A man in red trousers and a cape, hunched over at the other end of the stage, suddenly pranced back and forth with remarkable agility, earning several shocked guffaws. “Indeed, I challenge you, here and now, to a duel. A duel of wits, with my ignorant footman as your opponent!” He stepped back, indicating a taller, bronze-masked man in a checkered suit.

“Why—” the other man sputtered. “This is no contest at all. Though your intent is to humiliate me by pairing me against a social inferior, neither can my noble honor permit me to decline your gauntlet. Come, you poor, benighted buffoon, let us engage in Ancient Lucian intercourse.”

Ignis turned to Prompto as the audience tittered. “It’s a pun on—”

“Okay, I got that one, Ignis,” Prompto said.

“Apologies.”

“ _Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit_ ,” said the black-robed man.

“Um, that’s not Ancient Lucian,” Prompto said. “Even I can tell that.”

“It’s essentially gibberish,” Ignis agreed.

The manservant bent over, presenting his rear to the other man. “ _Cūlus_ ,” he said, pointing to his buttocks.

“Well,” Noctis said, turning to the others as the audience roared. “It’s an actual word, at least.”

Prompto glanced to his side, feeling the light touch of fabric on his arm. A performer, clad completely in white and with a face painted the color of cream, was peering at Noctis.

“Oh,” Prompto said. “Sorry, was I in your way?”

“On the contrary,” he said, smiling at Prompto before returning his gaze to Noctis. “You’re just where I was hoping you’d be.”

“Right,” Noctis said, eyeing him. “Just so you know, I’m not a big fan of clowns.”

“But I’m _such_ a big fan of yours,” the white-clad performer said, his voice soft and dulcet. “It’s all so very romantic. The young prince, heir to a destiny he never sought. Slayer of gods, toppler of empires. And on top of all that, managing to find love along the way? Simply marvelous. A story, indeed, fit for the stage.” He finished his speech with a knowing look to Prompto.

“I’m—I’m a chef,” Noctis stammered.

“Who are you?” Ignis demanded, drawing himself up to his full height and stepping in front of Noctis. “You’re no ordinary jester.”

“Keep your voices down,” Gladio said, walking up to them. He looked at the man, who returned his gaze unflinchingly; his amber eyes were kind, yet shrewd. “Ah, can you recommend any other plays?”

“We’re planning a production of _The Lion of Wintersend_ later this year.” He posed with his hands in front of his face, mimicking a cat’s paws. “We hope to perform in Insomnia.”

“When do tickets go on sale?” Gladio asked.

The actor smiled and tipped his head coquettishly. “There’s a caffè on Sonelio Plaza. How about we meet there after the show, and one of us can sign you up for front row seats.”

“Two can play at this game, you scheming fiend,” complained the black-robed man from the stage. “Where’s my servant? Boy? Boy!”

“My cue.” He winked at them as he walked towards the front of the audience. “When you get there, ask for Pierrot.”


	32. The Resistance

“Am I the only one who’s confused about what just happened?” Prompto said, as Pierrot slunk into the scene glumly. The other characters on the stage circled him in a minatory dance.

“Let’s go,” Gladio said, spinning on the balls of his feet. “I feel like a coffee.”

Prompto scratched his chin and hurried after him. “But you don’t drink coffee, do you?”

“Why are you so—” Gladio opened his mouth as if to continue, but instead sighed loudly and quickened his pace.

“Come along, you two,” Ignis said briskly. Noctis’s eyes were still wandering around the piazza.

Prompto shrugged and followed the other three. Once they had reached the back of the crowd, Noctis looked up abruptly at the roofs above them.

Prompto turned to him. “You felt something again?”

“There’s no one there,” Ignis said, after a cursory glance. “Not to worry, Noct, it will take a few days before you’re comfortable with the city.”

“Someone was watching us,” Noctis said, following Gladio to the nearest bridge. “I know it.”

“Of course we’re being watched,” Gladio muttered, as the four began to cross the old stone. Orange vines of bougainvillea snaked up and around the bridge’s marble pillars. “That place was probably full of spies. It’s why I wanted to leave as soon as possible.”

“I didn’t mean—” Noctis glanced up as a gaggle of tourists neared them, traveling in the other direction. “Never mind.”

“Smile,” Prompto said, turning with his camera to photograph Noctis surrounded by flowers. “Aw, come on.”

“You don’t care, huh? About what kind of weird person might be creeping on us?”

“Nope,” Prompto said. “Now strike a pose!”

“Fine,” Noctis said, pushing his hand to his hip and grinning.

“Cute!” Prompto shaded his viewscreen with his body as he pored over it, then slid his camera into his bag. “So, I guess that was the guy we were supposed to be meeting?”

Gladio grunted and continued walking.

“Okay, that makes a lot more sense now,” Prompto continued. “But isn’t a clown a kind of conspicuous disguise? Noct?”

“In this city, they probably fit right in,” Noctis said. “Ignis, you know where we’re going?”

“I’m following my map, Noct,” Ignis said, as they arrived at the junction of two long avenues. Languorous throngs of pedestrians strolled by, their sweat glistening in the sun. “Doing my best. I think we can cut through here.”

They turned into a narrow alley. Clotheslines creaked above them in the wind; the sound of televisions in apartment living rooms and conversations on balconies filtered down to ground level.

“Mmm,” Prompto said, reaching for Noctis’s hand. “The shade’s nice.”

“Yeah,” Noctis agreed, slowing down to match Prompto’s pace. “Pretty hot today. I almost want to jump in the water.”

“I wouldn’t recommend that,” Ignis said. “The canals look filthy.”

Noctis exhaled. “I know. Maybe we can find a pool or something.”

“I’d be up for that,” Prompto said, squeezing Noctis’s hand.

“Huh, looks like we’re here,” Gladio said, bending to read the sign at the end of the alley. “Sonelio Plaza. And that must be the caffè he mentioned.”

“Hey,” Noctis said, perking up. “Look at those fishermen. This must be a good spot.”

“No, please,” Prompto said, pulling Noctis back. “I’m already feeling sleepy enough in this heat.”

“Come to think of it,” Ignis said. “The tailor I mentioned is just a couple streets away. Perhaps now would be a good time to go in for the fitting, whilst we’re waiting for the performers to return anyway.”

“Fittings,” Noctis corrected. “I want Prompto to do it with me.”

“Very well.” Ignis nodded and placed his hands akimbo. “Given the limitations of our luggage, you won’t be able order more than a few suits for yourself anyway.”

“I’ll let you guys handle that,” Gladio said. “I’m gonna wait here and scope this place out.”

“Uh, is it a good idea for you to be on your own?” Prompto said.

Gladio chuckled. “I’ll be fine. You focus on taking care of our princess.”

“Gladio—” Ignis said, adjusting his glasses.

“What?” Gladio turned to Noctis. “Oh. Does that bother you, Noct? When I call you that now? Is it different now because you’re, you know—”

“Nah,” Noctis said, slapping the back of his hand to Gladio’s belly. “You’ve always called me that. You think I care?”

“Cool,” Gladio replied, smiling with relief. “Yeah, I’m still getting used to it, you know?”

“Besides, you know I just ignore what you say when I feel like it.”

Gladio rolled his eyes. “Alright, get out of here. Go to your little couple’s dress-up party. I’ll be hanging out here when you finish.”

Gladio reclined back into a chair as the other three walked across the square, disappearing down a different alley. With a restrained groan, he shifted his seat out of the blazing sun and into the shade of the table’s umbrella. _Did they have to be clowns?_

“As long as they’re good at their job,” Gladio remarked to himself. He peered through the open louvred doors of the caffè, attempting to discern movement in the darkness as the servers and other patrons buzzed around him listlessly. A restaurant didn’t seem like an especially surreptitious location for a hideout to him, but he admittedly knew as little about espionage as theatre. Gladio grinned after a moment’s contemplation, weighing the advantages of being a trained actor in an occupation in which the truth, imprudently revealed, augured death.

 

* * *

 

The tailor turned Prompto to the right and began counting numbers along his waist. Prompto looked up at Noctis and pursed his lips.

“What’s wrong?” Noctis said, his voice carrying across the room. Ignis glanced up from his phone, then looked back down again and leaned back further into the chaise.

“Nothing,” Prompto said. “Well, I just feel like I’m doing something wrong.”

“You’re fine, _signore_ ,” the tailor said, patting his back as he set a level on his shoulder.

“But you told me I have a stooped posture!” Prompto said, drawing a chuckle from Noctis.

“Merely an observation, not a criticism,” the tailor said evenly. “I fit the suit to you, not the other way around.”

“Stop heckling the poor man,” Ignis admonished, without bothering to look up.

“Fine, fine.” Prompto watched Noctis as his tailor measured along the inside of the prince’s arm. “Noct looks right in his element, at least.”

“What can I say?” Noctis said, winking at Prompto. “You’re entertaining.”

“I’m going to think about how I’ll get back at you for this,” Prompto mused. “Maybe I’ll run away the next time a random girl hits on you in public.”

“What, like you haven’t done that before?” Noctis said. He flinched as the tailor wrapped the tape around his hips. “Sorry, ticklish.”

“Okay, that wasn’t very nice of me,” Prompto admitted. “But I was nervous. And I already apologized to you for that!”

“Please stop fidgeting, _signore_ ,” Prompto’s tailor said.

“Oh, sorry,” Prompto said. He breathed in and narrowed his eyes at Noctis’s smirk.

“You’re confusing me,” Noctis said, as his tailor turned him around and walked to a nearby closet for a waistcoat. Noctis caught Prompto’s glance again in his mirror. “I try to do something nice and you say I need to be punished for it.”

“You’re the one who wanted to dress me up,” Prompto grumbled. “Huh? Oh, sorry.”

“Yes, I’m just going to measure your inseam,” Prompto’s tailor was saying. “Don’t be surprised.”

Noctis watched Prompto’s face and chuckled. A blush spread across the blond’s cheeks as the tailor’s hand rested just below his crotch.

“Alright,” his tailor said. “Ah, no, stay there, please. We have to fit the jacket and vest still.”

“Sheesh, how many parts are there?” Prompto said, returning to his position.

“You asked to be fitted for a three-piece suit and a shirt, no? So, we’re halfway done.”

Prompto sighed as the tailor helped him slip on the sample jacket. “Sorry I’m complaining so much. I get distracted easily.”

“It will be easier next time,” the tailor soothed.

“Next time?” Prompto said, as the tailor pinched at the fabric along his back.

“We’ll have to come back tomorrow and the next day,” Ignis said absentmindedly. “They’ll take the measurements again and incorporate them into the garment as they make it.”

“Man,” Prompto said, holding out his arm to where the tailor indicated. “How do rich people have time to do anything if they have to do all this just to get dressed?”

“How do you think?” Ignis said dryly, turning his attention to a nearby fashion magazine. “They get their servants to do all the hard work.”

“Love you too, Specs,” Noctis called, as the tailors chuckled.

“So you said, _signore_ , that you want whatever the other young gentleman wants?”

“Yes please,” Prompto said, tensing as the tailor measured along his spine. “I want us to match.”

“Very good.”

“Although, now that I think about it—hey Noct!”

“Yeah?” Noctis said, turning his head slightly.

“What kind of suits are we getting?”

Noctis quirked his eyebrow in the mirror. “I don’t know, I figured I’d just get what I’m used to.”

“Which is?” Prompto grimaced. “It’s black, isn’t it? I’m guessing it’s black.”

“Uh, sort of. When I was growing up, I’d normally get a black one and a navy one in wool, and a lighter blue one in linen, each year,” Noctis recalled. “Right, Ignis?”

Ignis flipped to the next page in his magazine and furrowed his brow at the page. “Yes, Noct.”

“Then I’d wear each of them like once before getting a new one.” Noctis looked down as his tailor buttoned up his waistcoat. “Now that I’m not growing anymore, I guess I’ll have these for a while.”

“Those sound kind of boring,” Prompto whined. “You know I hate wearing black.”

Noctis sighed and cocked his head at Prompto. “I already told you to get whatever you want. You’re not dragging me along with you, though. I like black.”

“I’m sure you two can sort this out without me,” Ignis said, standing up and stretching.

“Where are you going?” Noctis watched him as he walked to the door to the tailor’s front room.

“I feel like a coffee,” Ignis said. “I saw an espresso stand right outside. Won’t be a minute.”

“Huh,” Prompto said, after the tailors had worked in silence for a while. “How much coffee do you think Iggy drinks in a day?”

“Dunno,” Noct said blandly. “Never thought about it.”

“Alright, _signori_ ,” Noctis’s tailor said, retrieving the waistcoat from Noctis and hanging it in the closet again. “We’re done for today. See you tomorrow, around the same time?”

“Sure,” Noctis said to him. “And thanks.”

“Sir,” Prompto’s tailor was saying. “Did you make up your mind about the colors and fabrics?”’

“Oh, yeah. I’ll just copy him.” Prompto glanced at Noctis as the prince walked to his side and leaned into his shoulder.

“After all that fuss?” Noctis japed.

“Blue sounds nice, actually,” Prompto said. “And, well, maybe the black suit will remind you of how I looked at the senior formal.”

Noctis blushed and looked away. The tailor wrote down several letters in his notebook, then looked up again to walk them to the door.

“Whew, it’s hot,” Prompto said, once they were outside. The tailor’s stoop was completely exposed to the early afternoon sun; Prompto blinked in the blinding light and breathed in the thick scent of the jasmine that trained along the side of the storefront.

“ _You’re_ hot,” Noctis said, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

“I knew you’d like that,” Prompto replied, winking at him. “And hey, I already have to put up with black all the time with that Crownsguard stuff. I’m never getting away from it completely.”

“I think you look good in anything,” Noctis murmured into his ear. “Anything and nothing.”

Prompto pushed him away gently. “Okay, loverboy. You might want to save some for tonight, you know?”

“I’ve got plenty in the tank, believe me,” Noctis said, placing his hands on his hips. “Hey, Ignis!”

“So yeah, about what I was saying earlier. I wonder if he’s addicted,” Prompto said, as Ignis rose from his table in the shade and walked over to them.

“Of course he is, Prom,” Noctis said. “He drinks multiple cups a day. Why suddenly make a big deal out of it?”

“I’m not—”

“All done?” Ignis said. “I became absorbed in peoplewatching, apologies.”

“No worries,” Noctis replied. “We heading back to Gladio? He’s probably bored by now.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Ignis led the way as they returned down the alley towards Sonelio Plaza. Prompto sighed with relief as they stepped into the shade again. “He’s taking to all this furtiveness much better than I would’ve expected.”

“He probably just wants to impress Cor,” Prompto said. “That’s a bromance if I’ve ever seen one.”

Ignis laughed heartily. “Be sure to tell him that, Prompto.”

They walked for a few more minutes before arriving on the square again. The crowd from earlier had vanished, and Gladio stood alone in the shade of the plane tree at the center, his gaze fixed on the shuttered doors of the caffè.

“Everything good?” he said, once they had approached him.

“Uh, yeah,” Noctis said. “What about you, standing by yourself? It looks a little ominous.”

“Oh.” Gladio looked around. “No, nothing happened. The caffè just closed for the afternoon. Apparently that’s normal.”

Noctis looked up through the leaves. “We’re being watched.”

“Just stay calm.” Ignis patted Noctis’s forearm. “This is where we were told to meet the contact.”

“Oh, yeah.” Gladio pressed his lips together and looked at the other three. “I got a little impatient and asked one of the servers about Pierrot. They closed the place up a little while after that.”

“Stay calm, right?” Prompto said, fingering his camera in his bag. “If Imperials are about to swoop down on us, I hope my pictures will live on, at least.”

“Shush,” Noctis said. “I heard something.”

One of the caffè doors rattled; the four of them stared at it expectantly. Noctis held his arm to the side, ready to summon his sword. A young woman’s head, wrapped in a multicolored bandana, peeked out into the square.

“Pierrot’s friends?” she said, just loudly enough to be audible, then waved them over once they had nodded. “Step inside.”

“So, this is actually a caffè?” Prompto said, as Ignis closed the door behind them. His eyes roved over the tables with their upturned chairs, the empty bar, the massive tubs of coffee beans at the back.

“Of course it is,” Gladio muttered. “Don’t you think I would have noticed if it weren’t?”

“Your Highness,” the woman said. She gaped at Noctis, ignoring the chatter around him. “You look just like the pictures.”

“Well, why wouldn’t he?” Prompto said, scratching his neck. “I mean, that’s kind of what they’re there for.”

She shook her head and blinked. “My apologies. I must sound ridiculous. Um, my name is Josephine. I’m part of the Resistance to Niflheim here in Altissia.”

“We’re in the right place, then,” Ignis observed.

“Can’t any of you take this seriously?” Gladio said.

“I never thought I’d meet you, Your Highness,” Josephine continued. “Oh, but I should take you to the others. Look at me, running my mouth in front of royalty. I—please, just follow me,” she said, before abruptly sprinting to the stairs at the back of the restaurant.

“She’s a spy?” Prompto said. “She makes me look like Cor.”

“Just get moving,” Gladio said roughly, pushing Prompto along. They followed Josephine to the staircase, where she had already ascended to the next floor.

“It’s only a few flights, Your Highness,” she said. “I’m sorry that we don’t have an elevator. You’re probably used to that. I mean, living in the Citadel. I assume it has an elevator—”

“It does,” Noctis said, chuckling. “My legs work fine, though.”

“Of—of course.” Josephine led them down two more corridors, then unlocked a door to another stairwell.

“So you really didn’t know I was here?” Noctis said, once they had reached the next floor.

“We hadn’t confirmed it, Your Highness.” Josephine escorted them down a hallway lined with windows onto Sonelio Plaza, then opened the door to a maintenance closet.

“Uh,” Prompto said, as they crammed into the tiny room. “It’s kind of a tight fit in here. Are we in the right place?”

“Just a second,” Josephine said. She leaned into the metal of the broom closet, finally easing open its false back and stepping through. “Right this way.”

“Okay, that was cool,” Prompto said, dusting off his arms. Josephine closed the hidden door behind them, then walked across the cobwebbed, empty room, beckoning them to follow.

“The last staircase, I promise,” she said. “Helena—she’s our leader—she’ll be elated to meet you, Your Highness. All of you. We wanted to be sure it was really you before we got our hopes up. Now—well, maybe now, with you here, we can make some real progress.”

“I hope so,” Noctis said, hesitating. “I’ll do what I can.”

“I don’t mean to presume, Your Highness,” Josephine said, looking down. “I really should just leave the talking to Helena.”

“I don’t mind, honestly,” Noctis said, as Josephine knocked at a thick, heavy door set into red brick. It creaked open, spilling light into the narrow hallway. The group followed her over the threshold.

“Wow,” Prompto said, looking around. The room took up most of the penultimate floor of the building; desks and file cabinets lined the walls, with television monitors and computer towers stacked on and around the massive central table. About a dozen faces, some of them still in their stage makeup from the performance earlier, turned to peer at them as they entered, the buzzing room falling silent in an instant.

“Astrals,” a woman’s voice said in amazement. “It’s really you, Your Highness.”  
  
Noctis turned to the sound. A statuesque, brown-skinned woman with long, grey hair was striding towards them. She wore an airy saffron cloak over a simple orange tunic and ash-colored trousers; a scabbard quivered at one hip with the tapping of her boots, while at the other, a silver pistol waved in its holster. She passed the notebook in her hand to Josephine and bent her knee in front of the prince.

“Please,” Noctis said, looking at the faces around him in panic. “Please stand up.”

“Your Highness,” she said, drawing up to her full height again and looking down at Noctis, “my name is Helena Scaevola. It is my great honor to lead the Resistance to Niflheim here in Accordo.”

“Noctis,” he said, extending his hand. “Noctis Lucis Caelum. And Gladio, Ignis and Prompto, my Crownsguard.”

Prompto sniggered at his left. “I think she knows who you are, dude.”

After a moment of hesitation, Helena took Noctis’s hand and squeezed it, then smiled and stepped back, nodding to the rest of them. “We await your word, Your Highness.”

“Um,” Noctis said, blinking at the group that had gathered around them. “Hello.”

The crowd bowed their heads respectfully, some of them murmuring greetings in return.

“Keep it simple,” Gladio whispered.

“I—I want to express my gratitude for everything you do,” Noctis began. “Whether you’re from Lucis or Accordo, or even somewhere else, the possibility of freedom lives because of you.” He glanced at Prompto, who winked at him.

“I hope that I’ll prove worthy of the trust you place in me,” Noctis continued. “And I aim to be as faithful to our shared dream of freedom as you are.” He looked around and nodded. “Thank you.”

The room erupted in cheers and applause; Gladio patted Noctis’s shoulder. At the back of the room, the Pierrot from the performance earlier in the day, towering over the rest of the crowd, smiled at Noctis before turning and retreating to an adjacent room.

“Well said, Your Highness,” Helena declared, as the noise around them died down and the crowd slowly dispersed, returning to their work. “About half of our number are Altissians—by birth, lineage or both—so including them in your speech demonstrates your concern for their plight as well as our own.”

“It’s not just Lucians who have an interest in pushing back the Empire,” Ignis said.

“Quite right. Separately, we have little hope against Niflheim; but working together, we may just succeed in building a brighter future.”

“Hey, you’re way better at this than I am,” Noctis quipped. Helena shook her head and motioned the group to gather around the large table in the center of the room.

“I still can’t quite believe you’re here, Your Highness,” Helena began, as Josephine began scribbling in the notebook beside her. “We’d had word of an unusual group of visitors to Altissia. However, in itself, that was hardly remarkable, with the war displacing so many. I even dismissed some breathless reports from my eyes around the city, thinking that it would be far too much of a risk for you to come here.”

“I can’t let everyone else take the risks while I sit back,” Noctis said. Gladio grunted in approval behind him.

“Rest assured, Your Highness, that we’ll be looking out for you from here on out.” Helena nodded to Noctis across the table. “Wheresoever you are in Altissia, know that the eyes of the Resistance are on you, and that you are safe from harm.”

Noctis glanced at Prompto. “Uh, you’ll be watching me all the time?”

“Whenever practicable,” Helena replied, with a note of confusion. “Ah. Our vigil shall end at your closed door, naturally—if that’s what you’re concerned about, Your Highness.”

“Good,” Noctis said, catching Gladio’s smirk. “I mean—is there anything I should know?”

“Our chief concern at present is locating and ensuring the safety of the Oracle,” Helena said, retrieving her notebook from Josephine and flipping back several pages. “Not only because of her importance to you, but also owing to the massing of Niflheim’s military on our borders.”

Noctis opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted by the creaking of the door behind him and an accompanying voice.

“My, who’s this night-haired beauty in our midst?”

Noctis spun around on his heels. “Huh?”

“Ah, he’s even more stunning close-up,” the Harlequin continued, waving his mask and checkered tunic in his hand languidly. Wild waves of blond hair spilled onto his shoulders, which were surprisingly broad and thewy for his modest height and small frame. “The view of you in the square from my window was not enough.”

“Um.” Noctis’s eyes adventured down the man’s lithe torso, coming to rest at the unfastened drawstring of his sarouel and the trail of flaxen hair above it. “Thanks?”

“Romeo, please,” Helena said sternly. “This is His Highness to whom you speak. Show the proper respect. And finish getting dressed in the changing room, if you please.”

“Is that what His Highness desires?” Romeo asked. He gave Noctis a wink once the prince’s gaze had returned to eye level.

“Your name’s Romeo?” Prompto said, smiling. He turned to Noctis and elbowed him gently.

“What?” Noctis said, blushing. “I didn’t say anything.”

Prompto’s grin widened. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“I—” Noctis looked down. “Not sure what you mean, Prom.”

“Tristan,” Helena was saying. Noctis glanced up as the Pierrot from earlier in the day walked through the narrow doorway in front of which Romeo was standing. He had removed his makeup and freed his copper hair from its black cap, but his monochromatic costume was still intact. “We’re trying to have a briefing.”

“Yes, Helena,” Tristan said. He walked to Romeo and wrapped his arm around his waist, tugging him back towards the other room. “Come on, Rom. Stop making a show of yourself.”

“The audience wasn’t complaining,” Romeo said. He swatted Tristan’s arm away, but followed him back to the changing room.

Tristan looked back as he closed the door. “Apologies, Your Highness.”

“Yes, I, too, am sorry about that,” Helena said, once the others had turned back to her. “Romeo’s heart is in the right place, but he’s very young. With all that being young entails.”

“He’s another member of the Resistance, I take it?” Ignis said.

“Yes, he’s our youngest member. He was born here in Altissia, actually, to a Lucian immigrant parent and a native Altissian. Tristan brought him into our operation—you met Tristan at our performance, I’m told. The two of them are a couple.”

“But Romeo’s a shameless flirt,” Josephine added. The group around the table tittered.

“Well, I don’t think Noct minded,” Prompto said, winking at him.

“Um, of course I did,” Noctis said, turning to him. “How can you even think that?”

“Later,” Gladio said gruffly, waving his hand. “You were telling us about the Imperials outside the city?”

“Right, but it’s the ones within the city I’m more concerned about,” Helena said. “Two in particular.”

“Ravus and Ardyn.” Noctis pressed his palms into the table and sighed.

“I didn’t expect you to be on a first-name basis with them, Your Highness.” Tristan reentered the room and shut the door behind him. He had changed into a maroon T-shirt and blue jeans and slicked his red hair back neatly, completing the transformation from performer to nondescript young man.

“Tristan’s our case officer for Altissia,” Helena said, without looking up. “And quite a good Pierrot, or so I’m told. I rarely venture out of here these days, so I haven’t seen any of their shows recently.”

“Ah. Well, I’ve known Ravus since we were kids, actually,” Noctis said, watching as Tristan took a place around the table.

“And Chancellor Izunia never seems to leave us alone,” Ignis said. “Though he’s gone fairly quiet lately.”

“Good,” Noctis said.

“Don’t be so sure.” Gladio looked at Tristan and sighed. “With a guy as oily as that, no news may not be good news.”

“We can assume he’s here for a reason,” Ignis said, tapping his fingers to his temple. “What that reason is—there’s the question.”

“Could it be us?” Prompto suggested. “He seems to have a thing for Noct.”

“Ew, gross,” Noctis said, wrinkling his nose. Prompto giggled and slouched down into one of the chairs around the table.

“I believe I can shed some light,” Tristan said. “I wrote this in my report, Helena, but one of our ears within the First Secretary’s office informed me that the chief concern of the Chancellor in their meeting was the handover of the Oracle.”

“Unsurprising. But that may have been for the High Commander’s benefit. Or, more cynically, a performance for his sake.” Helena sighed and leaned forward over the table, flipping through the sheets of paper arrayed in front of her. “Izunia is a thorn in our side. Unlike most of the rest of you, I’m old enough to remember a time when he wasn’t quite so influential. Niflheim was easier to predict then, and its forces less overwhelming to boot.”

“What would Ardyn have to do with the Empire’s forces getting stronger?” Gladio said.

“A central question,” Tristan said, nodding. “And a hazardous one. Three years ago, the search for an answer led to the disappearance of my predecessor in this role.”

“Wait,” Prompto said, looking up at Helena. “You said you’re old enough to remember a time before Ardyn was chancellor. So the Resistance has been around since before Insomnia fell?”

“Yes,” Helena said, her tone measured. “Indeed, it has.”

“Crown City folk like you tend to forget about us proles out in the provinces,” Tristan said, narrowing his eyes at Prompto. “Niflheim’s boot has been at our necks for my entire life, ever since King Mors left us to fend for ourselves. That’s one reason my parents fled Lucis and came here when I was little.”

“Okay, sorry,” Prompto said, looking down.

“He was just asking a question,” Noctis said, glaring at Tristan.

“I—apologies, Your Highness. You’re right, of course. Forgive me, Prompto.”

“No biggie,” Prompto said, standing up. “You’re right, I really don’t know anything about stuff outside Insomnia.”

“This trip’s a bit of a crash course for all of us,” Ignis said dryly.

“I’m sorry as well,” Noctis said, looking between Helena and Tristan. “For my grandfather and father. For the monarchy. We failed you, I know.”

Helena shook her head. “No—”

“But I’ll do better. I’ll make things right again.” Noctis swallowed as Prompto walked to his side and touched his fingers lightly to his hand. “Thank you for trusting me.”

“Trust flows both ways, Your Highness,” Helena said, after a pause. “As I said earlier, know that you are under our protection within the city limits; there is no back alley, nor any hall of power that is wholly closed to us, though I ask that you continue to exercise discretion as you have so far. Secrecy makes what we do immeasurably simpler.”

“Sounds like a pretty good deal to me,” Noctis said, glancing at Prompto. “Wait, so it was you guys all along?”

“I’m sorry?” Helena looked up from her papers, her grey hair swaying in the breeze from the open window.

“You guys,” Noctis repeated. “On the roof of the jazz club by my hotel. And then on top of the building next to the performance today. It was you watching me, then?”

“I don’t think so, Your Highness.” Helena furrowed her brow. “We don’t really post people on rooftops. That’s a little flamboyant for my taste.”

“And likely to result in neck injury,” Tristan added, raising his gaze from Noctis and Prompto’s hands to Helena. “Well, Romeo climbs up buildings on occasion, but it couldn’t have been him. He was in character as Harlequin at the performance.”

“Then it was someone else.” Prompto pursed his lips. “Creepy.”

“And you’re sure someone was there, Noct?” Ignis said.

“Yes, Ignis,” Noctis said, rolling his eyes. “Why does no one believe me?”

“We all believe you,” Gladio said, crossing his arms and gazing out the window. “We’re just going through the possibilities.”

“As we just discussed, the High Commander and the Chancellor are in the city,” Helena said. “Along with various of their officers and others in their entourages. But why they would not just confront you directly if they knew of your presence here, I cannot say.”

“I can see what our people know about travelers on the roofs,” Tristan said slowly. “But it’s an odd question that might draw some unwelcome attention if we press too hard.”

“No, don’t,” Noctis said. “I don’t want anyone to endanger themselves. I’ll just figure it out on my own.”

“We’ll keep an eye out, anyway,” Helena said. “It’s good that you told us; with the ground and the sea to pay attention to in Altissia, one often neglects the sky.”

“So, were you talking about much before I joined you?” Tristan said to Helena, after another pause.

“I only mentioned the Imperial military presence and our concern for the Oracle. Ah, that reminds me. We have a plan in place for Lady Lunafreya’s speech in two days’ time, but now that you’re here, Your Highness, perhaps we should modify it.”

“Oh?” Ignis said. “How so?”

“We hadn’t planned to make contact,” Helena continued. “Only to ensure her safety, given the importance of the Oracle to Lucis. But perhaps—well, perhaps a plan to spirit her away and smuggle her with you out of the city might lie within the realm of possibility.”

“Sounds risky,” Gladio said.

“That’s an understatement,” Tristan said, leaning back in alarm. “I really wouldn’t recommend that, Helena.”

“It’s merely something to consider,” she said. “His Highness deserves to know all of his options.”

“Perhaps we should see how the meeting with the First Secretary goes, first,” Ignis said. “Isn’t that the subject of the negotiation?”

“Yeah.” Noctis said. “Yeah, let’s see if she’ll hand over Luna without us having to do anything too crazy. Weskham said we could work with her.”

“I’ve certainly seen worse first secretaries,” Helena said. “Very well, Your Highness. We’ll wait for the outcome of your meeting. I’ll have Romeo contact you at your hotel tomorrow evening, upon your return.”

“Oh.” Noctis exchanged a glance with Prompto. “Why him?”

“He’s our courier,” Helena replied. “He’s skilled at blending into the city, disguising himself, calling little attention to himself—as hard as that may be to believe.”

“And if all that fails,” Josephine added, “he’s very nimble. He’s been known to take the rooftops when other routes across the city are no good.”

“Cool,” Prompto murmured.

“Is there a problem?” Helena asked.

“No, no problem,” Noctis said, resting his hands on his hips.

“Not to worry,” Tristan said, with a slight smile. “I gave him a stern talking-to. He won’t be nearly as impudent the next time you see him—if he wants to stay on my good side, at least.”

Helena stepped back from the table. “Is there anything else, Your Highness?”

“No,” Noctis said. “I’m sure you have a lot to do. It was great meeting you all.”

“We’re honored by your presence.” Helena nodded to them, then glanced at Tristan. “When you’re ready to leave, Tristan will show you out to the street. We try to avoid using the exit to the caffè, for obvious reasons.”

As the group dispersed from the table, Prompto rested his head on Noctis’s shoulder.

“Tired?” Noctis said, angling his chin towards him. Prompto sighed in response.

“Gladio and I are just going to ask Helena a few more questions,” Ignis said, once he’d gotten Noctis’s attention. Noctis waved him off, then brought his hand to the small of Prompto’s back.

“Would you like to sit down?” Tristan said, as he approached them. “We have some couches in the changing room.”

“Prom?” Noctis said. “You feel like resting?”

“Nah, I’m fine,” Prompto said, standing up straight again and scrutinizing Tristan. “Dude, you look way different from when we first ran into you.”

Tristan laughed. “The wonders of costumes and makeup. The campy personalities of the characters we play, though, are at least as thick of a disguise.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said. “I thought you were pretty weird when I’d only seen you as a clown. You seem normal now, though.”

“I may have been hamming it up to conceal my nerves,” Tristan said. “One gets starstruck when in the presence of royalty for the first time.”

Prompto snorted. “I know, right?”

“And I was telling the truth, by the way. I’m a fan of yours, even if I’m not as enthusiastic about the rest of your family. Ah, no offense.”

“None taken, believe me.” Noctis furrowed his brow. “How’d you know all that stuff, though? About what I’d done? About—uh, you mentioned something about romance, too.”

“Your deeds are known,” Tristan said, with a flick of his hand. “Even here in Altissia. Perhaps more so here than in much of Lucis, as our communications haven’t been ravaged by the war.”

“Right,” Prompto said. “Can’t remember the last time I heard anything out of Insomnia. Other than Cor’s military reports, I mean.”

“As for your personal life—” Tristan blushed and twirled a fiery lock of hair around his finger, pulling it away from his face. “I only had to watch the two of you together for a minute or two to be sure.”

“Um, sorry?” Prompto said.

“Forgive me for being so bold, Your Highness—”

“Please, just use Noctis.”

“I—” Tristan looked down at his feet. “Men such as us, we develop a sense, no? For others who are the same.”

“Ah,” Noctis said. He hesitated, then reached out and patted Tristan’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t know. Mine’s been in the shop for the last twenty years.”

“I doubt either of you are as bad as me,” Prompto said. “If we’re talking about compasses, mine was spinning in circles until a couple weeks ago.”

Tristan laughed and looked between them. “Your Highness—Noctis. You don’t know what a revelation today has been for me. It’s overwhelming for me to meet you, the prince. But in the same moment, to realize that the leader of our nation is another gay man, when for so much of my life I felt alone as one—do I presume too much?”

“No,” Noctis said, as Tristan rubbed the back of his hand to his eyes. “I know exactly what you mean. I felt the same way until Prom and I got together.”

“Aw,” Prompto said. “Is it okay if I hug you, Tristan?”

Tristan sniffled and laughed. “More than okay, my friend.”

Prompto shuffled forward and embraced him; Tristan gently wrapped his arms around Prompto’s shoulders.

“I don’t know what it’s like,” Prompto murmured. “I always thought I was straight, growing up. But I’ve been learning a lot recently. About what Noct went through and about myself.”

“You’re kindhearted, Prompto,” Tristan said. “If you don’t mind me saying this, His Highness is lucky to have you.”

“Please, you don’t think I already know that?” Prompto quipped.

“Hey,” Noctis said. He walked towards the two and put one arm over each of them. “I’m feeling a little left out, here.”

“He has to butt in on everything,” Prompto said.

Tristan laughed again. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Oh, I see how it is, Tris.”

Noctis stepped back and turned around to Romeo’s voice. He was peeking his head through the open door to the changing room.

“I get scolded for praising our ravishing prince and told to memorize my lines, just so you can cozy up to him and his equally pretty companion five minutes later? Is this your so-called ‘strategy meeting with Helena?’”

“Our meeting concluded,” Tristan said. “Stop being such a nuisance, okay? I just have to see His Highness’s party out; then we can go shopping for dinner.”

“So now I’m a nuisance? You already said I was embarrassing you earlier.” Romeo looked down at the script in his hand. “Go shopping on your own. I still have lines to read.”

Tristan sighed as Romeo slammed the door shut. “Sorry about that.”

“Uh, we’re not causing problems for you, are we?” Prompto glanced at Noctis.

“No, not at all,” Tristan said. Gladio and Ignis were returning to them from the other end of the room. “He’ll forget all about this and be back to his sparkly self by sundown. Perhaps even in time to help me carry the groceries.”

“How are we?” Ignis said. “Noct, you look pleased with yourself.”

“Noct’s liking all the compliments, I think,” Prompto mused.

“Shut up.” Noctis briefly squeezed Prompto’s hand, then glanced up at Gladio. “We all ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Gladio said. “Can’t wait to relax for the rest of the day.”

“Ah, follow me, then,” Tristan said, as the group waved farewell to the rest of the room.

“No smoky bars for me tonight,” Ignis said, once they had reached the stairwell. “I think I might even indulge in an afternoon nap.”

Gladio looked back at Noctis and Prompto. “What are you two going to do?”

“Um, I don’t know,” Prompto said. “I was thinking of exploring the city more, though. You have any recommendations, Tristan?”

“ _Certo_.” Tristan held a maintenance door open for them, then hurried past them to the end of the hallway and motioned them down another, older corridor. “If you haven’t been to Listro Park yet, it’s quite popular with tourists and locals alike.”

“Oh yeah?” Prompto said. “Funny, I didn’t think there’d be much greenery in this city.”

“Ah, it’s not that sort of park,” Tristan said. He turned on his flashlight as they continued down an unlit section of the corridor. “Perhaps this is a translation thing? It’s like a piazza, but a larger one that’s more of a hub of sorts. Different gondola routes branch off of it, and there’s a massive statue in the middle that people throw paper birds at, seeking good fortune.”

“Uh, what?” Prompto scratched his neck and paused as Tristan motioned towards another corner. “Is that like those fountains in Insomnia where folks throw coins and make wishes?”

“I suppose so,” Tristan said. “I’ve never been to Insomnia, so I can’t be sure. Up these stairs, Your Highness.”

“Now that we know the Resistance is keeping an eye on you, I feel even better about you going off on your own,” Gladio said.

“Yes, I’m sure the word has reached most of our people by now,” Tristan said. He pushed open the door at the top of the stairs and peeked out, then walked into the light and beckoned to the others. “You’ll find enough to do in Listro Park. Plenty of shops, vendors, food carts, portraitists, buskers. All sorts, basically.”

Noctis blinked as his eyes adjusted to the afternoon light. He surveyed the alley in which they stood, then looked at the adjacent street, hearing the jazz bassline.

“We’re right behind our hotel,” Noctis observed.

“Convenient, isn’t it?” Tristan said, smiling. “If you need to return to us at any point, Romeo can lead you back through the underground. It would be best for you to not return to Sonelio Plaza, if that can be avoided. It will attract undue attention.”

“Right,” Noctis said. “Uh, will he know when and where to show up tomorrow? I mean, after my meeting?”

“Not to worry, Your Highness.” Tristan placed his hands on his hips and glanced at the rooftops. “Despite outward appearances, Romeo takes his duties seriously, and he’s quite a capable courier.”

“Of course,” Ignis said. “I’m deeply impressed with what I saw today. And Noct is too, I’m sure.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, nodding to Tristan. “Definitely.”

“Not as much as me, Your Highness,” Tristan said. “Oh, to get to Listro Park, take the stairs up to the piazza on the next street. The one with the fountain and the absurd statue of Leviathan that Aldercept gifted the city a few years back.”

Prompto chuckled. “Sounds easy enough to find.”

“From there, take the next set of stairs to the gondola stop. You’ll know you’re at the right one because it travels along an aqueduct to the upper city, not along the canals. Ask the gondolier for Listro Park; the ride is only twenty minutes or so. Take care, Your Highness, friends.”

Noctis extended his hand, but Tristan had already pivoted and begun striding down the alley. He slunk into the crowd at the entrance to the street, evaporating into the crush of tourists crisscrossing the piazza.

Ignis sighed. “It’s sobering to see our troubles weighing so heavily on our people, even those as far afield as here.”

“It was good to meet them,” Noctis said. “Good to see what I mean to them. It was—I don’t know. Humbling, I think.”

“Not a word I associate with you,” Prompto joked.

“You better take a picture of this moment, then,” Noctis said, elbowing him before turning to Gladio. “Thanks. I’m happy we did this. It was important to put faces to a name.”

Gladio shrugged. “It was Cor’s idea. But I’m glad you got something out of it.”

“We must never forget why we fight,” Ignis said, closing his eyes and pinching his forehead. “For the good of our people, Noct. Their safety and prosperity. This was your father’s stalwart belief.”

“You sure?” Noctis peered at him. “I think Dad might have wobbled a little on that when he sacrificed all of Insomnia for my sake.”

Ignis sighed. “I don’t feel like getting into this again right now. Go on, explore the park. I’ll text you when I’m thinking of dinner. Gladio, are you heading back to the hotel, or?”

“I’m going to check out a weapons vendor I heard about,” Gladio said, scratching his back. “She sells out of a boat at the end of a canal and changes her spot each night to stay a step ahead of the authorities.”

“Goodness,” Ignis said. “Be careful, please.”

“Always am,” he replied. They walked in opposite directions out of the alley: one into the light of the commercial waterfront, the other into the shadows of the city’s underbelly.

“Well,” Prompto said, once both of them were out of sight. “Should we hit it?”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, after a second. He grinned at Prompto and tapped his waist. “Hey, you want to hold hands until we get to the end of the alley?”

Prompto giggled and grabbed at Noctis’s fingers, pulling him along. “Like you have to ask. Why are you acting funny?”

“Huh?” Noctis stumbled slightly as they started walking, then glanced at Prompto. “I’m not, am I?”

“Oh well,” Prompto said, slowing down to sniff the vines of passion flowers along the wall of the hotel. “Guess I was wrong, then. You think they’ll have those ice cream carts at the park? I could really go for some.”

“Yeah, it’s muggy.” Noctis stopped at the mouth of the alley.

“Noct?” Prompto turned back to him.

“Maybe I am being weird. I guess a lot happened today, is all.” Noctis held onto Prompto and leaned against the brick wall of the hotel.

Prompto stroked his hand gently before releasing it. “Yup, way different from all those weeks of wandering around in the middle of nowhere. I was getting kind of used to it, actually.”

“You miss it?” Noctis said, shading his eyes from the sun.

“What, camping in the boonies?” Prompto snorted. “Come on, Noct. You know me better than that.”

“Yeah.” They started walking again, scaling the steps to the small square above Paserno Street. “Stupid question, sorry.”

“Do you?” Prompto turned back to him at the top of the stairway, tapping his foot and nodding his head to the pulse of the jazz club beneath their feet.

“A little. It all feels so much more real now, you know?”

“I wouldn’t know, Noct.” At the center of the square, Prompto stopped to wave his hand under the mist of the fountain. “Most of this still doesn’t feel one hundred percent real to me.”

Noctis wrinkled his brow and watched Prompto play with the water. “What do you mean?”

“You know, liberating the nation; saving the world. Talking to gods. Being the only ones who can fix everything, apparently.” They reached the top of the staircase, where several empty gondolas awaited passengers.

“Oh, that’s all?” Noctis deadpanned. He carefully settled into the far seat of the closest gondola and held out his hand to Prompto.

“I told you I still haven’t wrapped my head around it, right?” Prompto clambered in, then collapsed into the upholstery and reclined on Noctis’s shoulder.

“Listro Park, gentlemen?” the gondolier said. Noctis nodded to him and they began gliding along the narrow blue line to the upper city.

“I don’t know what to say,” Noctis said, after a while. The breeze over the lagoon fluttered Prompto’s hair, delivering the brackish scent of the sea. “How can I make it all real? Or help you get a handle on it all? Do you want me to try, even?”

“Let’s just relax for the rest of the day, Noct,” Prompto said, his voice heavy with fatigue. “Why do you think you have to solve every problem in the world right away?”

“I—” Noctis frowned at the crown of Prompto’s head. “I’m the king now, Prom. I have a lot of responsibility.”

Prompto sighed.

“And you’re not ‘every problem,’ okay? You mean a lot to me.”

“I’m one of those responsibilities, you mean,” Prompto mumbled.

“Stop it.” Noctis snaked his arm behind Prompto’s back and brought his hand to Prompto’s. “I know what you’re doing."

Prompto raised his head slightly from Noctis’s shoulder. “Sorry?”

“You’re putting yourself down to distract me from what you’re really saying.” Noctis glanced up at the gondolier, who was staring off into the distance discreetly. He looked back down and kissed Prompto’s hair. “I told you to stop doing that.”

“Wow.” Prompto chuckled and let his head fall to Noctis’s shoulder again. “I have to be a little more subtle, now that you’re catching on more.”

“Anyway,” Noctis continued. “Relaxing sounds good. But let’s talk about what you said later.”

“That’s a good compromise,” Prompto murmured. His head moved along Noctis’s shoulder as he rested more of his body against his. “But I still mean what I said.”

“That you’re my responsibility?”

“No, that you think you have to solve everyone’s problems. Didn’t you see what I saw today?”

“You’re talking about the Resistance?” Noctis closed his eyes as a strong gust buffeted them from the west. The gondolier paused to steady himself.

“I thought it was amazing,” Prompto said. “It was all these ordinary people working together to make the world a better place. They weren’t waiting around for kings to help them. I mean, they were happy to see you, sure, but they didn’t _need_ you.”

Noctis snorted. “Aren’t you the little anarchist.”

“You were raised your whole life to think that people needed you to protect them, right?” Prompto tapped his fingers to Noctis’s thigh. “That they needed you to lift them up.”

“I guess,” Noctis said, frowning. “But now you’re making me feel kind of bad about it.”

“Don’t,” Prompto replied. He sat up and looked into Noctis’s eyes. “I already told you, I love that you try to help people. It’s one reason I lo—one reason I’m proud to be your friend.”

“Prompto,” Noctis said, blinking.

“I didn’t see people who needed you to lift them up today,” Prompto said. “I saw people who were lifting up each other. And—well, they could do the same for you, if you let them.”

“I know that, Prom,” Noctis said, looking down at their hands. “That’s what I was getting at when I was talking to them. I’m amazed by what everyone’s doing. You guys, Cor, Luna, the Resistance. I don’t think it’s just me. Or, at least, I try to remember it isn’t.”

“And that applies to the two of us, too,” Prompto said. He stroked his fingers in Noctis’s palm. “Look at me.”

Noctis glanced up and wiped his sleeve to his eyes. “Yeah?”

“We help each other, okay?” Prompto looked through his bag at his side, producing a few tissues and handing them to Noctis. “Remember what you told me the day I got stung by those wasps? That we were equals?”

“I’ve always thought that, Prom,” Noctis said, dabbing the tissues to his face. “I’ve never thought I was better than you.”

“I know,” Prompto said, hesitating. “But—Noct, I know you’ve always tried to take care of me. And most of the time, I welcomed it.”

Noctis sniffled. “Good to know I wasn’t a total nuisance to you.”

“Not only that, a lot of the time, I needed it,” Prompto continued, glancing behind him momentarily to the glistening panorama of the city below. “But you can’t remove every doubt from my mind or solve every one of my problems, okay?”

Noctis watched the view with Prompto for several seconds, his eyes drawn to the flapping of the flags above the first secretary’s mansion. He pressed his lips together at the thought of the summit the next day.

“I wish I could,” he said finally, looking down at his lap again.

“You know, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t a part of me that wished that too.” Prompto reached across the seat and stroked Noctis’s cheek gently until he raised his eyes. “But we’ll just do the best we can. Both of us. And that means I’ll be the one lifting you up sometimes.”

“Yeah?” Noctis touched his hand to Prompto’s, holding it to his cheek. His fingers trembled as another breeze whistled through the aqueduct below them.

“If you’ll let me.” Prompto pulled his hand back, then leaned forward and kissed Noctis gently on his open, waiting mouth. “Please?”

Noctis grinned. “I think I can manage that.”

Prompto kissed him again, laughing midway through and lowering his head to Noctis’s shoulder.

“What’s so funny?” Noctis said, his chest vibrating with laughter as well.

“Oh,” Prompto said. He straightened up and pressed his hand to his collarbone, trying to compose himself. “Just my nerves coming out. I’m not as good at the speech thing as you.”

Before Noctis could reply, the gondolier cleared his throat. The boat had stopped moving; Noctis looked up at him.

“Is something wrong?”

“Not at all, _signore_ ,” the gondolier said. “I’ve just stopped us in case the two of you want a picture with the city behind you. We have a few minutes before the next boats catch up.”

“Whoa,” Prompto said, after he had looked behind them. The colors of the old city, all warmth and shadow in the late afternoon, spread out below them like a meadow of wildflowers, blurring at the edges of the vista into the pink and gold of the lagoon. “You want to, Noct?”

Noctis slid along the seat towards him, then leaned back into Prompto’s shoulder and rested his head against his. He smiled as a warm gust of wind blew Prompto’s hair into his face. “Why not?”

Prompto set up the shot with his camera, taking several tries to get the angle right. Noctis laughed as Prompto described the unique challenge of the perfect selfie.

“And don’t worry, Noct,” Prompto said, once they had settled on a photograph. “We may be equals, but you can still be my hero.”

“That’s all I ask,” Noctis said, grinning at his own joke. In the stolen moments before the next boats arrived at their place on the water, he leaned in to kiss Prompto again, wishing that their journey could stay frozen in time just a little bit longer.


	33. Pas de Deux

_He holds me strong and brave._  
  
Noctis squinted at the screen of his phone, rereading the line several times and counting the syllables. His eyes darted between his raised thumb and his four fingers.  
  
“Then he says—then he says that—” Noctis frowned. “What even rhymes with 'that?'”  
  
Prompto’s laugh carried on the breeze to their table. Noctis looked up and watched him as he traded gestures and smiles with the gelato vendor, their body movements bridging the chasm between languages.  
  
“Nothing romantic,” Noctis muttered, his gaze traveling up and down Prompto’s tanned and freckled arms. “Better think of a different word.”  
  
He sighed and began surveying the park, hoping something would inspire him. Around the gelato cart were gathered mostly children and tourists. Noctis watched a lanky girl chase a shorter boy to the main stairway, both of them laughing breathlessly, and smiled.  
  
Further down the steps of the staircase sat a bespectacled, unassuming artist whom Noctis had caught peering at him several times since they had arrived at the park. She was surrounded by her own sketches, the number only growing over the course of the afternoon as she tore off page after page in apparent dissatisfaction.  
  
“She’s staring at me again,” Noctis said to himself, barely moving his mouth.  
  
“Who’s staring?” Prompto was saying.  
  
Noctis glanced up, then accepted his cone from Prompto’s hand. “Hey, sorry, I didn’t hear you.”  
  
“’Cause of the music?” Prompto turned towards the buskers gathered at the outlook. “Yeah, I gave that one singer a few gil on my way back.”  
  
“If you can call him that,” Noctis said, lapping at the gelato. “Thanks.”  
  
“Yup.” Prompto sank back into his chair across from Noctis. “So, a girl was staring at you? Is that my cue to run off and leave you?”  
  
Noctis glowered at him. “Don’t even think about it.”  
  
“Where is she?” Prompto said, his eyes scanning the perimeter of the park. “Who’s this woman who’s making eyes at my boyfriend?”  
  
“It’s not like that,” Noctis said. He bit into the side of his gelato, leaving small teeth marks. “That artist on the stairs just keeps looking over here. I think she’s drawing me.”  
  
Prompto turned and watched her. She raised her hand and waved timidly.  
  
“Don’t—” Noctis kicked him under the table. “Don’t just stare back at her!”  
  
“Ow,” Prompto said, turning back to Noctis and licking his gelato. “Why not, huh? That’s what my mom would tell me to do when I complained that the kids at school were staring at me. ‘Then, stare back at them!’ she said.”  
  
“Well, I clearly can’t argue with that logic,” Noctis deadpanned.  
  
“Sorry, Your _High_ ness,” Prompto said. “Not all of us grew up with everyone looking at us all the time. Maybe you can enlighten your plebeian friend here as to the best course of action?”  
  
“Just ignore her,” Noctis said, ignoring his sarcasm. “Pretend you don’t notice anything. As long as she doesn’t come up to us, it’s like we’re in separate worlds.”  
  
“That would’ve been easier if you’d never told me about it in the first place,” Prompto complained. “You only want to do something more when someone tells you not to.”  
  
Noctis shrugged. “Call it practice for later. Once people find out that we’re together, you’ll get plenty of unwelcome attention. Might as well get used to it now.”  
  
“I didn’t think of that,” Prompto said, grinning. “Is it too late to back out now?”  
  
“Yes.” Noctis licked in a slow ring around his chocolate gelato, staring into Prompto’s eyes all the while. He finished with a lazy, flamboyant flick of his tongue and took another bite of his cone.  
  
“Oh boy,” Prompto looked down at his lap and blushed. “Glad I’m not standing up right now.”  
  
“Mhm,” Noctis said.  
  
“You know,” Prompto said, his eyes watching Noctis’s tongue. “There was an apricot gelato.”  
  
Noctis snorted and looked at the cone in Prompto’s hand. “Why didn’t you get it?”  
  
“I almost did. I figured I’d try vanilla first, though.”  
  
“That’s always been your favorite,” Noctis said. He swallowed and pointed at Prompto’s bag. “You said you were going to work on your sketches while I wrote my poem.”  
  
“Oh yeah.” Prompto placed the remainder of his cone in his mouth, then retrieved his pad and pen from his bag. He flipped to a fresh leaf and looked up at Noctis.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Aren’t you going to join me?”  
  
“I’m finishing my ice cream,” Noctis said, before reaching into his pocket for his phone. “Okay, fine.”  
  
“Don’t rely on Iggy,” Prompto murmured, as he began marking lines on the page. “I mean, that’s just like me going up to that artist over there and asking her to draw you for me.”  
  
“No, it isn’t,” Noctis said defensively. “And I was doing fine on my own, actually.”  
  
Prompto glanced up again. “How much did you finish?”  
  
“Um.” Noctis blushed and turned in his seat, his form an elegant chiaroscuro in the fading sunlight. Prompto’s pen paused as he breathed in sharply. “None of your business.”  
  
“Uh-huh,” Prompto said, still studying Noctis’s profile. “Well, don’t move. I’m drawing you.”  
  
Noctis turned to him. “Why not just take a picture? Then you can sketch from it whenever—”  
  
“What did I just tell you?” Prompto said. He waved his pen in the air between them.  
  
“Okay, okay,” Noctis replied, smiling as he turned back to the view of the old city. “Sorry.”  
  
Prompto leaned forward in his seat as he drew Noctis, the lines falling into place on the paper as if the prince had dwelt there since long before Prompto had raised his pen. He worked quickly, determined to make the most of the remaining light.  
  
“Sun sets earlier here,” Noctis observed, after they had both labored in silence for a while. “We’re closer to the equator.”  
  
“Huh,” Prompto grunted. “How’s the writing going?”  
  
“Getting by,” Noctis said, glancing up from his phone. His knees bumped the table; Prompto winced and traced over some of his lines. “You still drawing?”  
  
“Yeah,” Prompto said, smiling slightly. “Made a lot of progress on this sketch, watching you work. I like how you look when you’re concentrating.”  
  
Noctis leaned forward in his seat and craned his head across the table. “Can I see?”  
  
“No,” Prompto said, pushing him away by the shoulder. “You’ll ruin the surprise. It isn’t ready yet.”  
  
“Aw,” Noctis said. He sighed and slouched back.  
  
“Focus on your poem,” Prompto suggested. “Channel your mom.”  
  
“I don’t know if I can finish it right now,” Noctis whined. “You were right, it’s harder without Ignis.”  
  
“Well, Ignis isn’t my boyfriend.” Prompto poked Noctis’s thigh under the table. “You are.”  
  
“Come on. What’s the point of having advisors if I can’t make use of them?”  
  
“Um, I don’t think you completely grasp the relationship thing yet.” Prompto returned his gaze to his paper. “But to be fair, neither do I, I guess.”  
  
Noctis chuckled and tapped his fingers to the table. After a few seconds, he turned in his chair to glance down the hill at the vista of the lower city. “What did you think about everyone today?”  
  
“You mean the Resistance people?” Prompto said slowly, not looking up. His fingers curved across the page. “I already told you that I liked what they were doing.”  
  
“I more mean the cloak and dagger act. The politics and secrets.” Noctis pressed the side of his phone and returned it to his pocket, then wiggled upright in his chair. “Did you get any of it?”  
  
“I picked up enough, Noct,” Prompto said, tilting his pen as he shaded. “I’m not totally hopeless, you know.”  
  
“I know. I didn’t mean it that way.” Noctis sighed. “I was more talking about myself. I felt pretty lost during most of the strategy talk.”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I mean, I know how to fight,” Noctis continued. “I’m fine with killing Imperials. That’s not a problem. I’ve never really been into politics, though. Or hierarchy—I hated how they kept calling me ‘Highness.’ And I’m not a strategist, either.”  
  
Prompto laughed. “You’re talking to the wrong person, Noct. Although, this is where those advisors you talked about can help, isn’t it?”  
  
“Well, I’m asking you, aren’t I?”  
  
“Um.” Prompto placed his pen on the table and smoothed his hands over his drawing. “I meant Iggy and Gladio.”  
  
“And I meant you,” Noctis said, tapping Prompto’s foot with his own. “Come on.”  
  
“Huh. I guess—I mean, they all seemed badass. And honest. Although, since most of them are professional actors, you probably can’t tell when they’re lying.”  
  
“Actors and spies,” Noctis added. “I’m glad they’re on our side.”  
  
Prompto grinned. “Tristan was sweet. And Romeo liked you.”  
  
“No—no, he didn’t,” Noctis blurted out, averting his eyes.  
  
“It’s alright, Noct,” Prompto said, chuckling. “It’s fine.”  
  
Noctis looked at him cagily. “What do you mean, it’s fine?”  
  
“I don’t mind if you find other guys hot; I mean, he’s pretty damn hot.” Prompto glanced up at Noctis and winked. “I don’t get as jealous as you.”  
  
“Am I that obvious?” Noctis said, shaking his head.  
  
“About finding him hot or being jealous?” Prompto narrowed his eyes at the page, trying to fit a few more lines into the remains of the day.  
  
“I’m going to stop talking now,” Noctis mumbled.  
  
“Yes, stay still, then. I’m trying to wrap up here.”  
  
“Isn’t it too dark to see?”  
  
Prompto held his drawing away from his body to look at it, then returned it to his lap. “It’s okay. I just want to finish this part.”  
  
“You could go sit under the lights like that artist woman,” Noctis said, flicking his chin in her direction. “She doesn’t look like she’s slowing down.”  
  
“Is she still staring at you?” Prompto asked, without looking up.  
  
“Yup.” Noctis shifted in his chair, then pushed himself upright. “Come on.”  
  
Prompto glanced at him. “Huh? Where are we going?”  
  
“I’m going to talk to her,” Noctis said, stepping to Prompto’s side of the table and rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
“But—” Prompto shielded his sketch from Noctis’s gaze and slid it into his bag. “What happened to ignoring unwanted attention?”  
  
“It’s for you,” Noctis said. “Maybe she’ll have some drawing advice. Not that you need it, I mean.”  
  
“Okay, let’s go.” Prompto stood and slapped Noctis’s rear.  
  
Noctis staggered forward, then looked back at Prompto as he led them to the stairs. “You know, I always wondered why you did that.”  
  
“Oh, that?” Prompto shrugged. “I guess I’ve been interested in your butt for way longer than I realized.”  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
Prompto chuckled. “Seriously, though, I think I just, um, liked how it threw you off balance. Especially when you tried to act so cool all the time.”  
  
“Huh.” Noctis stopped and turned to him. “Yeah, the first time you did it, I couldn’t believe what was happening.”  
  
“You were scandalized that anyone would dare to assault the prince like that?”  
  
“Maybe a little?” Noctis patted his hair back as a gust of wind traveled up to them from the sea. “I’d never been around anyone who didn’t, like, give a crap about who I was before.”  
  
“That was pretty obvious.”  
  
“And—” Noctis blushed. “Gods, I can’t believe I’m about to tell you this.”  
  
“Well, come on,” Prompto said, poking Noctis’s abdomen.  
  
“Ah, fine,” Noctis said, leaning back from Prompto’s fingertip. “Um, well, the first time you smacked my butt in freshman year, I—um, I thought you were hitting on me.”  
  
Prompto snorted. “What?”  
  
“I know, okay?” Noctis covered his burning face with his hands. “I didn’t know how to interpret it. No one had ever, like, touched me before. It’s sort of not allowed. And you were really friendly to me, so at first I thought you might—you know.”  
  
“What do you mean, not allowed?” Prompto frowned. “Is this one of those royal things?”  
  
Noctis peeked through his fingers. “It’s against protocol for anyone to touch me, outside of a handshake.”  
  
“Well, I hate to break it to you, Your Highness, but you’ve broken that rule in a big way lately.”  
  
“Yeah, but we’re talking about high school,” Noctis said, finally dropping his hands. “And you were my first friend who didn’t know anything about that stuff.”  
  
Prompto pressed his palm against his cheek. “And I still don’t, apparently.”  
  
“In the same way that I didn’t know anything about how to relate to normal people,” Noctis continued. “Until we became friends, I didn’t know how normal kids my age acted.”  
  
“You looked to me for normal behavior?” Prompto shook his head. “Talk about the blind leading the blind.”  
  
“The first time you grabbed my butt, I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a week,” Noctis recalled. “I’d—I would lay in bed at night, back at the Citadel, running that moment through my head over and over. That’s—”  
  
“Please stop, Noct.”  
  
Noctis raised his eyebrows. “This is way more embarrassing for me, though.”  
  
“I guess you’re right about that,” Prompto said. He flicked his eyes at the artist, then looked back to Noctis and returned his smile.  
  
“I was just going to say, the next week was when I decided I would ask you out.”  
  
“When you showed up at my house in a suit,” Prompto murmured. “With flowers.”  
  
“Yeah.” Noctis turned and started to walk towards the artist’s place at the foot of the stairs again. “And the rest is history.”  
  
Prompto hopped the final few steps to the artist, then leaned on Noctis’s shoulder and fished a pebble out of his shoe. Noctis cleared his throat and the artist looked up.  
  
“Hi,” Noctis said. “I noticed you looking at us and figured we would introduce ourselves.”  
  
Prompto quirked an eyebrow. “Noct?”  
  
“My friend and I are seafood chefs from Lestallum.” Noctis winked back at Prompto. “Drawing is one of his hobbies, though. We were wondering if we could look at your art.”  
  
“Oh!” She set down her pencil and looked between them. “Sure. I actually just finished drawing the two of you talking. I hope you don’t mind.”  
  
“Not at all,” Noctis said blandly.  
  
“You—” She held out the thick sheet of paper to Noctis. “You can keep it if you like. Call it a thank you for being my unwitting subjects.”  
  
“Awesome,” Prompto said.  
  
“Look at it before you say that,” the artist said, with a nervous chuckle. “Not everyone likes my drawings.”  
  
“Uh,” Noctis said, wrinkling his brow and handing the drawing to Prompto. “No, no. It’s wonderful.”  
  
Prompto coughed. “Wait, this is us?”  
  
“Of course it is,” Noctis said, slapping Prompto’s belly with the back of his hand. “Don’t be so rude.”  
  
“Oh, right.” Prompto squinted at the childlike lines and garish coloration. “It must have just been the light throwing me off.”  
  
“Thank you,” Noctis said, nodding curtly to the caricaturist. He pivoted on his heels and pulled Prompto by the hand up the stairway.  
  
“Ah, hang on!” Prompto stumbled, but steadied himself by grabbing at Noctis’s belt.  
  
“Can’t keep your hands off, huh?” Noctis flashed him a wicked smile.  
  
“More like, if I hadn’t grabbed you, I’d be missing teeth,” Prompto said. He reached into his bag for his pad, then tucked the drawing of him and Noctis between its leaves. “What’s the hurry?”  
  
“You were practically telling her she sucked,” Noctis said. His hair fluttered in the cool breeze as he looked down the stairs at Prompto. “We don’t need some scorned terrible artist out for our blood in addition to the Empire.”  
  
“Something tells me she gets that a lot, though.” Prompto scratched his neck. “It was kind of nice that she drew us with my hand at your waist, at least.”  
  
“That was probably just you poking me,” Noctis japed, turning to resume their ascent.  
  
“Noct,” Prompto said, catching up to him. “All your talk about when we first met got me thinking.”  
  
“Yeah?” They had reached the top of the stairway; Noctis placed his hands on his hips and surveyed the plaza.  
  
“Well, it made me think about what I brought up at the restaurant earlier today—”  
  
“Hang on,” Noctis said abruptly. He jogged away towards a vendor near the center of the square, the pigeons in his path scattering into the twilight.  
  
“Noct?” Prompto ran after him. “What’s happening?”  
  
“I wanted to see what those kids were doing,” Noctis said, once Prompto had reached him.  
  
“Probably what Tristan was telling us about.” Prompto watched as a teenage boy, one of his hands joined with a taller girl, threw a paper bird upward at the wrought iron statue of Leviathan with his free hand.  
  
“Wishing birds,” the vendor was saying. “You make a wish and try to get the bird into the statue’s mouth. If it makes it in, you’ll get your wish—that’s the legend, anyway.”  
  
Noctis grabbed a bird and handed the vendor a couple of gil coins. “Thanks.”  
  
Prompto turned to the sound of laughter. The teenage couple were hugging, evidently celebrating a successful flight.  
  
“No pressure,” Prompto joked, as they strolled up to the fountain. “I mean, this should be like fish in a barrel for you, right? Since you’re throwing your sword all the time.”  
  
“Shush,” Noctis said. He raised his chin at the mouth of the whale and bent his knees several times in preparation, then wound back for a throw.  
  
“Noct!” Prompto said, just as the bird took flight. It trailed off at its apex and dove into the water, landing several feet from the statue.  
  
Noctis turned and glared at him. “Did you do that on purpose?”  
  
“I—I just wanted to know what you wished for,” Prompto said.  
  
Noctis’s expression softened. “Doesn’t matter now, does it? I missed.”  
  
“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” Prompto looked down at his bag, then sat down on the edge of the fountain and pulled out his pad.  
  
“What are you doing?” Noctis said, squatting next to him.  
  
“Making you another one.” Prompto grinned at Noctis, then returned his focus to the paper, pleating it into an elegant chevron.  
  
“Will a paper airplane still count for my wish?” Noctis steadied himself on Prompto’s knee and watched his fingers.  
  
“We’ll just say it’s a large bird,” Prompto said. He held out the folded paper to Noctis, but gripped it tight when the prince attempted to take it.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Tell me your wish.”  
  
“No,” Noctis said, tugging at the paper. “We’ll jinx it.”  
  
“Says who?”  
  
“I’ll tell you if I make it.” Noctis leaned forward on his haunches and tilted his chin up, puckering his lips.  
  
“Deal.” Prompto pecked him and released the bird.  
  
“Okay, here we go,” Noctis said, as he stood and took a deep breath. He held the bird above Prompto’s head and bent his legs in preparation. “And—”  
  
The paper bird fluttered through the air, riding the pacific updraft into the Leviathan’s gaping maw before tumbling down several rungs and settling on one of the statue’s flippers.  
  
“Hey!” Prompto sprang up and wrapped his arms around Noctis’s waist. “Awesome!”  
  
“Yup, I know I am,” Noctis said, flicking his hair away from his face. “Don’t I get a kiss?”  
  
Prompto glanced down at his lips in the glow of the streetlamps. “Ah, aren’t you forgetting something?”  
  
“I wished—” Noctis cupped the back of Prompto’s head with his hand and looked into his eyes. “I wished that we’d always be together. No matter what.”  
  
“Noct,” Prompto said, leaning into their embrace and resting his chin on Noctis’s shoulder. “You don’t have to wish for that. I already told you I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
Noctis swallowed and stared up at the evening sky, peering through the cold metal bars of Leviathan, his eyes drawing shapes among the stars.  
  
“Noct?”  
  
“I’ve just—I’ve lost a lot of people, Prom. And we have to fight all the time. I wish we didn’t have to. There’ve been some close calls already—”  
  
“We’re doing okay,” Prompto said, rubbing Noctis’s back. “Hey, look around. Look how far we’ve come.”  
  
Noctis released Prompto and stepped back. “It makes me sick to think of something happening to you, Prom. And you mean more to me than anything else.”  
  
“Nothing’s going to happen to me, Noct.” Prompto looked back at him apprehensively.  
  
“Anything,” Noctis repeated, before returning his gaze to the stars. “I can’t lose you.”  
  
The square fell quiet for several seconds but for the low buzz of the patrons outside of the caffès around its periphery. Prompto watched Noctis’s upturned expression, seeing another window into the man he had drawn earlier, turning to a blank page in his mind. He shuffled forward and raised his palm to the nape of Noctis’s neck and pinched him lightly, returning his eyes back to earth.  
  
“Come with me,” Prompto said. He dropped his hand to Noctis’s side and pulled him along with him.  
  
“What—” Noctis trailed him clumsily. “Where are we going?”  
  
“I see some stairs over there,” Prompto said, as they reached the edge of the square. He released Noctis’s hand and waved down the stairway towards a smaller, quieter plaza, half-covered by a colonnade and lined with orange and chestnut trees. “Here.”  
  
Noctis walked down the stairs with him, following Prompto to one of the pillars of the colonnade. He leaned back into the pillar and breathed in the smell of citrus.  
  
“It’s more private here,” Prompto said. He turned to face Noctis, pressing one of his hands into the stone at the prince’s side.  
  
“Hmm,” Noctis said playfully, tugging at Prompto’s belt. “And what are we going to do with that privacy?”  
  
“Noct.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Your eyes are red,” he murmured, stroking his fingers through Noctis’s hair. “You were crying just now.”  
  
Noctis laughed and looked away. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice in the dark.”  
  
Prompto leaned in to plant a kiss at the corner of Noctis’s mouth. After gauging Noctis’s response, he traced along his lips until he had reached their midpoint. Noctis hesitated, then pulled Prompto towards him by the waist and opened his mouth to let him in.  
  
“I’m not going anywhere, Noct,” Prompto said, as they stopped to breathe. “Okay?”  
  
“Okay,” Noctis said. He rubbed his leg along the inside of Prompto’s thigh.  
  
“You don’t need to wish for it. I’ll always be by your side.”  
  
Noctis whimpered softly and closed his eyes. “Prompto.”  
  
“So, it’s true.”  
  
Noctis pulled away and turned towards the voice. He felt Prompto’s fingers dig into his sides in alarm.  
  
“I wasn’t sure what to think when I heard the reports from our spies. I thought there surely must have been a misapprehension of the key facts.” Ravus was slowly descending the staircase from the piazza, his mechanical arm glinting coldly under the streetlamps. “Then my own sister shared with me the news that her future husband had found comfort in the arms of another man.”  
  
“You’ve been spying on us?” Noctis glanced around the rooftops. “It was you?”  
  
“If you’re looking around for your so-called ‘Resistance,’ I’ve dispatched a few magitek troopers to keep them busy.” Ravus stopped at the bottom of the stairs and smirked.  
  
Noctis glared at him. “How did you even know we were here? Or about Prompto and me?”  
  
“You truly believed that the purported ‘King of Lucis’ could parade through the city centers of Lestallum and Altissia, hand in hand with the bastard commoner to whom he shows unseemly deference, and that word of such dishonor would not reach my ear?” Ravus shook his head. “Your naivety truly beggars belief.”  
  
“At least I’m not so naïve as to place my faith in the Empire,” Noctis retorted.  
  
“I place my faith in no one,” Ravus said dismissively. “Not in the fool emperor nor his minions, not in the declining Lucians and their brat of a prince who holds pretensions far beyond his abilities.”  
  
“Edgy,” Noctis said. He pushed Prompto behind him and drew himself up to his full height. “I still don’t see how my life is any business of yours, though.”  
  
“Is us very nearly being brothers by marriage not enough?”  
  
“Gods,” Noctis scoffed. “Brothers? You know that was nothing more than Nif mind games.”  
  
Ravus began to pace at the foot of the stairs. “Believe me, nothing would ease my conscience more than if your match with Lunafreya had never been made at those risible peace talks. I have as little regard for the way in which Aldercept and Ardyn used my sister as I do for the deception which you then inflicted on her.”  
  
“Yet you were perfectly fine with ripping my father’s sword from his dead hand before he could put his signature to those peace talks.”  
  
“I—” Ravus averted his eyes. “Took no pleasure in that. I don’t expect you to understand why I did it, but it was not for my own selfish glory.”  
  
“And I didn’t deceive Luna,” Noctis said. “I actually told her the truth right away.”  
  
“Spare me your lies.” Ravus balled one of his fists with a metallic clink. “I’d actually had my suspicions about you two for a while.”  
  
Prompto reached down to Noctis’s side for his hand and clutched it tightly.  
  
“Still, I didn’t want to believe it. I thought that surely, given everything she’s sacrificed for your sake, Luna meant something to you.”  
  
“She does!” Noctis protested.  
  
Ravus raised his palm. “Please, don’t insult my intelligence. Not only have you betrayed my sister’s affection for you in the worst way possible, but you flaunt your dissolute tendencies in the middle of the city’s main square, clearly reveling in the gossip and rumor you’ll foment. The only explanation I can fathom is that you wish to heap yet more embarrassment and disgrace upon her than she already suffers.”  
  
“Ravus, we never wanted to hurt Luna,” Prompto said. “They didn’t even get to choose whether they wanted to get married in the first place.”  
  
“You have the temerity to address me?” Ravus stared at him icily, his lip twitching. “You’re worse than the trash that collects at the bottom of these canals: a common whore who seduced a weak-minded man engaged to be married to a woman worth a thousand of you. Saw a convenient meal ticket for life, did you?”  
  
Noctis took a step forward, his hand sparkling with crystal energy. “Don’t you dare speak to him like that.”  
  
“On the other hand, perhaps I should be thanking you. Were it not for your intervention, my sister might still be set to marry a man—though I use that term loosely—who would only bring pain and humiliation into her life, given his preference to be plowed into the mattress by his bodyguard over lying with her.”  
  
“Says the man who sells out his homeland while spreading his legs wide for every Imperial who gives him a second glance,” Noctis sneered. “You could probably teach me a thing or two.”  
  
Ravus paused, then placed his hand at his waist. “Raise your weapon.”  
  
“No!” Prompto yelled. He grabbed Noctis’s wrist. “Come on, don’t do this! Do you think this is what Luna would want? Either of you?”  
  
“Now you, the home-wrecking slut, presume to speak for her. You truly know no shame.” Ravus smirked. “Is that what he likes about you?”  
  
“That’s enough,” Noctis said. The Ultima Blade shimmered into corporeality before him and he took it into hand. “No hiding behind treaties. You’ll feel my blade in your throat before I let you  utter more vile insults. And I didn’t want to wait around for you to stab me in the back like you did my father, anyway.”  
  
“All that we are, all that we do, is preordained,” Ravus replied, a flash of hesitation playing across his features as he grasped his sword. “Perhaps even this.”  
  
“Take some responsibility,” Noctis taunted, as he stepped away from Prompto and pushed him behind and into the shadows, out of the path of danger. “Don’t blame the gods for your cowardice and treason. Blame yourself. Blame your poor choices.”  
  
“Your jeering merely confirms to me how ignorant you are,” Ravus said with a smile. “You picture yourself a gallant hero, no? The chosen one who will save us all?”  
  
“Well, let’s see,” Noctis said. “Do the gods talk to you? What about the Crystal? The kings of yore?”  
  
“Truly, your pride knows no bounds.” Ravus let his sword droop and regarded Noctis, his shoulders slumping. “You are exactly what I imagined you to be. A spoiled, tedious child, his head distended beyond all hope by fairy tales. In part my sister’s doing, admittedly.”  
  
“You’re one to lecture about pride.” Noctis let his sword float before him and placed his hands on his hips. “The turncoat who thought he knew better than thousands of years of history. The quisling who places his thirst for power above the welfare of his people.”  
  
“Is that a knot I see between your eyes?” Ravus lunged forward with his sword, knocking the Ultima Blade to the ground. “I hope that grasping at the furthest reaches of your vocabulary did not strain you overmuch.”  
  
“What a couple of preening peacocks,” said a figure from the roofs above. Prompto looked up at the silhouette, the tabard and lance confirming his recognition of the voice.  
  
“Aranea!” he yelled, his mouth agape. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“Just here for the weekend, Cupcake,” she quipped, vaulting from the rafters and landing softly beside him. “Seeing the sights, that sort of thing.”  
  
“Commodore,” Ravus said, sheathing his sword. “I suppose we’ll wait for you to clear off before we resume our duel.”  
  
“Is that what was going on? I thought you two were flirting.”  
  
Ravus narrowed his eyes. “Indulge in whatever bawdy fantasies you choose, pirate. The cold reality is that I am here to reclaim my sister’s honor from this degenerate, and I will receive satisfaction.”  
  
“What an unfortunate choice of words,” Aranea mused. “You probably need to be satisfied in a number of ways, Ravus. My guess is it’s been at least a few years since it happened in any of them.”  
  
“This is good, though, right?” Prompto stepped towards Noctis and reached for his hand. The Ultima Blade still hovered beside him. “We can just go our separate ways and talk when we’ve all calmed down.”  
  
“You still don’t get it, tart. I haven’t the slightest interest in intercourse.”  
  
Aranea closed her eyes. “Again, word choice.”  
  
“I want his head,” Ravus said, jutting his chin at Noctis. “It’s only what he deserves for what he’s done.”  
  
“Well, that’s a little dramatic. The engagement was broken by the invasion _you_ led,” Aranea said. “Don’t get all high and mighty now just because you don’t like that he’s with another man. Why do you care so much, anyway?”  
  
“I could ask you the same question, Commodore.” Ravus peered at her under the streetlamp. “How does this involve you in any way? Are you experiencing maternal instincts for the first time, perhaps? Do you see these two as more strays to adopt, like those engineers you keep around on your ship?”  
  
“None of your business.” Aranea flicked her hair away from her face as a breeze whispered through the colonnade and in the orange trees. “But what I _can_ tell you is that you’re done for the night. Go back to your men and stop inciting trouble in the city. I’ve got enough crap to keep an eye on without you adding to it.”  
  
“Brass-necked wench,” Ravus muttered. “I outrank you. I—”  
  
“You’re just embarrassing yourself at this point,” Noctis said gleefully.  
  
Ravus turned to him. “It’s only fitting that a man of your kind would taunt me whilst hiding behind a woman’s skirts. But I’ll have you. Mark my words.”  
  
“Sorry, I’m taken,” Noctis said, winking.  
  
Without another word, Ravus walked away, melting into the darkness along the canal.  
  
Prompto groaned and shook his head. “I’m glad that’s over.”  
  
“Not sure it’s over,” Aranea observed, watching Ravus’s path into the night. She turned to Noctis and Prompto. “Long time no see, boys.”  
  
“Yeah.” Noctis nodded and released his sword. “Just so you know, I could’ve handled that.”  
  
“Oh, gods,” Aranea said, shaking her head. “Knock off the tough guy act. You think I care about your dick swinging contest with Ravus?”  
  
“Uh, I guess not.” Noctis crossed his arms and regarded her. “So why are you here, anyway?”  
  
“I told you, I’m just here on vacation.” Aranea looked down the canal at the lights of the old city. “I’ve been meaning to check out the museums for years.”  
  
Prompto scratched his head. “Um, really? Because we could probably use your help, you know, if Ravus is here.”  
  
“Later,” Aranea said, waving her hand. Her eyes flicked between Noctis and Prompto. “So, was he right? You two are an item now?”  
  
They looked at each other; Noctis flicked his chin in Aranea’s direction, to which Prompto snorted and slapped his shoulder. Finally, Prompto turned back to her. “Yeah!”  
  
“That’s—that’s great, boys,” Aranea replied, smiling in spite of herself. “I’m happy for you. I mean, I figured you were, since you’ve looked pretty cozy the last couple days.”  
  
Noctis exhaled. “So, it was you watching us. I should have known.”  
  
“Yup, ‘pretty boy,’” Aranea said. “All of the Imperials know you’re in Altissia, by the way. It’s how I knew to come here.”  
  
“I figured.” Noctis glanced at Prompto. “Because Ardyn was at those ruins, remember?”  
  
“But—” Prompto turned to Aranea. “I don’t get it. Why’s everyone pretending, then? It’s like all these people are dancing in circles, waiting for something to happen.”  
  
“They want Luna,” Noctis muttered. “I don’t really know why, though. Maybe for a ransom. Do you know, Aranea?”  
  
“They don’t tell me stuff like that.” Aranea walked up to them and lowered her voice. “Also, I’ve decided to part ways with Niflheim, so I’m probably not your best source for insider information.”  
  
Prompto frowned. “What do you mean?”  
  
“What I said,” Aranea said. “I’m out. The Empire’s been too damn weird lately. All Gralea wants these days is demon harvesting, and I’ve also been hearing some odd rumors about what’s going on there in Zegnautus and the slums. Plus, the whole ‘going back on the treaty’ thing with Lucis really rubbed me the wrong way.”  
  
“How noble of you,” Noctis said dryly.  
  
“It’s not for your sake,” Aranea said, placing her hands on her hips. “I just saw how easily the Empire betrayed you guys. If they did the same thing to my men and me—well, I don’t want to end up like Regis.”  
  
“So you’re just after your self-interest,” Noctis said, rolling his eyes. “I’m shocked.”  
  
“Everyone is, Prince Charming. The sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be.” Aranea patted her hair back into place as the wind passed. “Anyway, combined with all the other strange crap they’ve been up to lately, it seemed like high time for us to go our separate ways.”  
  
“That’s great,” Prompto said, after a pause. “That means you can join us, right?”  
  
Aranea shook her head. “Hang on, how did you come to that conclusion?”  
  
“He’s right,” Noctis said. “We’re the only ones who can stop the Empire. If you’ve seen them for what they are, then how can you just stand by and do nothing?”  
  
“Who said I’m doing nothing? My men are helping set up shelters in inland Accordo right now so that little ritual of yours will go off without casualties in a few days.”  
  
“I—” Noctis frowned. “I don’t get it, then. If you want to help, why not join me?”  
  
“Maybe I just don’t like you,” Aranea deadpanned. Prompto giggled, then stepped back from Noctis when he turned to him.  
  
“Oh, come on,” Noctis said. “How about a little support?”  
  
“Sorry,” Prompto said. “I’m sorry. I think I’m just really relieved right now. Five minutes ago, you were in some silly duel with a guy who’s half robot.”  
  
Aranea watched them for a few seconds, her lips pulling into a smile as Prompto reached for Noctis’s hand in the dim light. “If you want the real reason, it’s a commitment thing.”  
  
“What?” Noctis turned back to her. “What are you talking about?”  
  
“I realized, after all these years with the Nifs, that I want to get back to living for myself.” She stretched her arms to the night sky, then dropped them to her sides and breathed out slowly. “The constant wars—they’re good for profit, but I don’t really care about any of it.”  
  
“’Profit,’” Noctis repeated. “Is that all the lives and livelihoods of innocent people are to you?”  
  
“I’m not here to sugarcoat things for you, Princess. You can open your eyes to what’s true about the world, or keep trying to play the knight in shining armor. Just don’t expect me to pledge my service to you.”  
  
“But I never said that.” Noctis frowned. “Join us as an ally. An equal. I’m not asking for you to pledge yourself.”  
  
“I don’t know,” Aranea said. She glanced up at the rooftops. “It’s still commitment. Responsibility. I can probably do more on my own.”  
  
“So, that’s your final decision?” Noctis demanded.  
  
“Noctis,” she said softly. He blinked at her use of his name. “Haven’t you ever wanted freedom? Just—just freedom. From all the crap weighing you down?”  
  
Noctis exchanged a look with Prompto. “Of course.”  
  
“Then you know how I feel.” She glanced between them and bent her knees. “So let me have mine.”  
  
With a scraping of her boots on the brick, she was gone, landing on the eaves above them a second later and vanishing into the night.  
  
“Well,” Prompto said, after they had both watched the sky above the rooftops for a while.  
  
“Yeah?” Noctis squeezed his hand.  
  
“I did not expect to see her here.”  
  
Noctis snorted. “I bet you’re glad, though.”  
  
“Huh?” Prompto leaned into his shoulder and peered at him.  
  
“Because she broke up Ravus and me.”  
  
“Oh, yeah.” Prompto elbowed him. “I was going to get mad at you. If you’d survived.”  
  
“Thanks,” Noctis said, grinning. “Okay, I’ll try not to be goaded into anything like that again.”  
  
“You were worrying about me leaving you,” Prompto said, reaching his arms around Noctis’s waist. “And then you go and do that. What about you leaving me, huh?”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Noctis said. He looked down and kissed Prompto’s hair. “I wasn’t thinking. You want to head back to the hotel now? Before any more random Imperials confront us?”  
  
“Yeah, let’s go,” Prompto said. Despite his words of agreement, he held fast to him for a few seconds after they had finished talking, as if his hands were the only force in the universe that could keep Noctis safe from harm.


End file.
